The Broker's Shadow
by LilliathN7
Summary: [AU] Shepard seeking a better living looks to an opportunity given to her by the infamous Shadowbroker, Liara T'soni. Being recognized as a highly skilled infiltrator and loyal agent, the Shadowbroker's interests grow and entrusts Shepard with her more classified but dangerous missions. Although, Shepard soon discovers the true battle occurring within Citadel and Terminus space.
1. Chapter 1 - Welcome to the Game

**Author's Note: **Hey all, it's been a while but I've decided to go with an AU story for Shepard and Liara. Although that does not mean I will be leaving _The Shepard and the Maiden_ unfinished! I've been working on this story for quite some time, brainstorming and such. It ended up with me growing a liking to it since it will have its occasional fluff but with a little more action (in more than one sense hah). Anyways here is my own story with the use of the Mass Effect characters which is owned all by BioWare (of course with all the lore and galaxy information)!

Also this story is rated M for language, 'graphic image' and sexual content that may make people uncomfortable so please keep this in mind before reading!

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**Chapter 1: Welcome to the Game**

It was dark in Omega, as usual. The streets were dirty and rowdy, and the people were vile and deceiving. It was relatively quiet with the exception of occasional gun fire and scream of victims, but the commotion grew louder as one would approach the largest club establishment called Afterlife. There were many different species of people that lived on Omega and all of them wanted a piece of the action. Some wanted to be infamous, some sought out danger, a handful wanted to make a living with bundles of credits, and others just needed some way to get by, a place to start. Although there was no said leader on Omega, everyone knew that it was rightfully held in the hands of an Asari named Aria T'Loak. It was always the wisest decision to be on her good side whether or not one gets themselves involved in Omega's affairs. In a sense she does not give a damn about what goes on in Omega, as long as the balance of power is not shifted away from her. No one can ever feel safe if they knew they've done something wrong. Somehow and some way, Aria will find out and she will take care of it.

Shepard was found sitting in a booth across from her trusted friend Garrus Vakarian. They were both sharing drinks and exchanging glances as they occasionally looked across the room to a hefty, human man surrounded by Asari strippers who being both fondled and played with in open public. Not that anyone would question it as the two Krogan in armor scared and intimidated watchful perverts away.

"Would you like anymore to drink?" A purple hued Asari leaned over to Shepard as she stripped the human's sights away from the man across the room. The waitress began eying the red haired woman subtlety up and down.

"No that won't be needed, thank you." Shepard returned the Asari's curious glance with her piercing blue eyes, feeling a slight touch of hand on her thigh. Quickly grabbing hold of the waitress's wrist, Shepard pulled her a bit closer, the human's breath brushing the Asari's quivering lips. "And I don't need that either. Maybe next time. Now get outta here." The waitress sighed almost frustratingly as she kept her eyesight on Shepard, leaving the table.

"Well you certainly have a way with women, Shepard. And I say that confidently about all species." Garrus began to chuckle, his baritone voice echoing.

"Shut it Vakarian. It makes me glad that he's our target for tonight. Making me sit here and wait while being teased by attractive Asari and seeing his disgusting self having 'too much fun' is sickening. Honestly if I did not give a shit about how the employer wanted this done, I'd walk over there myself and tear his throat open." Shepard glared as she removed her sights away from the fat man, taking a swig of her Jack and Coke.

"Hm, it will be difficult to get close to him. He's not only surrounded by those Asari, but he has some muscle with him as well. Blood pack I believe. Suiting if I do say so myself." Garrus peeked with his single-visor that hovered over one of his sky colored eyes. "And I know this is a bit off topic Shepard, but how can you drink that stuff. I can smell it from over here."

Shepard leaned back and finished her drink, smiling as she smiled coolly from the heated taste in the back of her throat. "Good ol' fashioned Human liquor Vakarian. Besides I'm not here to get myself wasted from Ryncol. We've been briefed that our employer does not allow unprofessionalism to an extent. Besides, if I don't drink I'll think too much."

Garrus ignored Shepard's last comment, not being able to understand meaning behind the human woman's words. "You mean our employer wants a swift kill." The turian looked at the hefty man as his mandibles twitched from a gross excitement of killing him.

"Clean, swift, and severe, Vakarian." Shepard lifted up her coat's collar as she glanced over at the fat man across from them and glanced up at the booth seated high above the patrons. "And we need to do this under the radar. If this shit rattles Aria, then we're screwed. We were told that we won't have a rescue party if we mess up, and our employer won't have a thing to do with us."

"Right. Look Shepard, he's on the move." Garrus held his talons together as he and Shepard remained still and to their selves until the big man walked through Afterlife's front doors. "And looks like he's only taking one of the Asari girls with him."

"Good. It'll be better if there are fewer bystanders in the way." Shepard flipped her auburn hair as threw credits on the table for their drinks. "Let's go."

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As Shepard and Garrus kept their distance following the hefty man, they made sure that they too were not being followed. Keeping themselves in the shadows, they maintained a good distance away from their target, their chatter resorting to their radios. The streets were relatively quiet as they moved further away from Afterlife and nothing but the man's heaving grunts and idiotic chatter filled the air, following the Asari's alluring giggles and whines.

"Target is entering a skycar." Shepard radioed as she motioned her hand to Garrus.

"I got it." Whipping out a modified Predator pistol, he fired and it silently released a bug that tapped onto the skycar. Immediately after, Garrus pulled out a pad and began swiping and tapping on the holographic interface. "Now where are you going you fat man?"

The skycar flew off and Shepard rejoined with Garrus, leaning against a building's wall as she looked over Garrus shoulder. "I hope he's not going for a joyride. We don't have all night to sit out in the cold while he is screwing his Asari whore in there."

"We'll see." Garrus said as he kept his eyes on the bleeping dot.

After about half an hour, the dot finally stopped and was fixed on a large building not far from where the duo was. "Gotcha.

Shepard nodded as she smirked. "Let's go."

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Setting up among the neighboring hills of the man's estate, Shepard laid prone in a bundle of bushes while Garrus was positioned in an opposite location among the trees, having the perfect angle to gain sight of their target. "Target spotted. Looks like he'll be retiring tonight. And with his lovely companion." He added a seductive tone and Shepard shook her head at the gross image in her head.

"I swear, sometimes I wish I could ban you from radio privileges." Shepard was peering through her heat-seeking binoculars, finding the fat man and keeping sight. "I'm glad our employer was nice enough to provide equipment for this mission. These heat-seeking binoculars make it easier to spot this guy from a mile away."

"Yeah the rented skycar was useful too. I was kinda worried how we would end up getting around but when resources were mentioned, it was no joke." Garrus said as he opened up a black briefcase. "And our employer even mentioned that we'll be provided with firearms that would be well suited for the mission."

"You're really going to use that?" Shepard scoffed as she slipped off her dark coat and revealed her light, black armor with an N7 logo inscribed on the right side of her chest plate with a large 'X' carved into it. She pulled her Mantis from her back and had it extend to its rifle shape.

"Well I do want to see how the boss's toys will work after all. No worries if something goes wrong I do have my Viper with me." Garrus had himself propped up and leaned against the tree for more stability as he took aim through the scope of the Incisor in his hand. "Since I'll be a bit handicapped, you'll take priority shot."

"Roger that." Shepard wore her coat and placed her Kuwashii visor over her right eye, pulling her hood over her head as she lay prone with her rifle steady as she began to take aim. "Target sighted, looks like he's about to get ready for some action."

Shepard had aimed her rifle at the room, not having a full sight of the fat man. _'This is going to be tricky. This place is completely closed off on sights and if I miss we'll be fucked.' _The estate had little windows and on top of it all most were covered with drapes and blinds, or even just completely shut. The window of the room the man and Asari were in had only a single window with a drape covering it and only subtle shadows could be seen. _'Egh, and I only have one shot. Sacrificing ammo availability for power can have its pros and cons I guess.' _

Shepard kept having an internal conversation with herself as the silence began making Garrus uneasy. "C'mon Shepard, if you won't do it I will."

"Easy Garrus, you and I both know we have little to no shot on this guy. We're going to have to rely on heat. Give me the guy's location and I'll try to fix a shot." Shepard remained perfectly still, keeping her eye peered through the scope, her Kawashii visor aiding in maintaining a steady aim regardless of her growing fatigue.

"I know you have an extraordinary shot Shepard, but seriously can you possibly guarantee you'll make it?" Garrus laid down his rifle as he looked through the binoculars, calculating an approximate location.

"I know I can Garrus. And you know it too, so don't doubt me now." Shepard began slowing her breath, taking deeper inhales and quiet exhales.

"Alright, from the window, the target is standing about two feet to your left, his head approximately three feet up from the window sill. Looks like he's attempting to provide a show for the Asari to set the mood so give or take three minutes before he moves completely." Garrus's mandibles twitched again. "If you're going to take the shot. Take it now."

"Got it." Shepard whispered as she took one more breath in, her finger settled very gently on the trigger. Through her scope she could feel it shake in her grasp, the adrenaline now pumping through her hands and arms. Fixing a point from Garrus's directions, she held her breath, steadying her aim. Finding the appropriate angle she knew she only had about seconds before the man moved, but before she was too late, Shepard fired her single shot, exhaling fully as felt like an extension of her rifle.

With the silenced and powerful shot through the wall, the bullet struck the man right through the temple and escaped through the other side, blood had spurted from the point of exit as the man was shot, his eyes wide and rolling back to a ghostly white, death grabbing hold of him. His fat, nude body fell over onto the Asari making her shriek in panic and fear, a pool of blood covering her and the sheets.

"Target eliminated. Looks like we started a big of a party" Shepard quickly leaped onto her feet and retracted her rifle, carrying it by its body. "Let's get out of here, Garrus."

"Meet you back at the skycar." Garrus had already been prepared and had everything put away into the provided suitcase as he began leaving the estate, now approaching the parked skycar. _'Meanwhile I'll just send over our report to our employer.'_

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"Ma'am looks like Shepard and her partner Vakarian have succeeded in annihilating Hammond Reich. Just got the report two minutes ago and they are making their way back to the rendezvous point." A voice radioed in from a monitor only showing vocal wave signs streaming across the screen. "Any further instructions, Ms. T'soni?"

"Provide them with the necessary credentials to leave Omega and have them return here to Hagalaz. I want to personally welcome them to the ranks of being a part of the Shadow Infiltrators." The Asari's slender figure stood as she walked over to another monitor having Garrus's and Shepard's records displayed, though her eyes mainly fixed on Shepard.

"Weclome to the Game… Shepard."

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**Author's Note: **I hope you all enjoyed it so far. Feel free to leave some reviews for me and tell me what you think and what you hope to expect! It'll be highly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2 - The Gamble of Trust

**A/N: **All Mass Effect characters and galaxy lore belong to BioWare.

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**Chapter 2: The Gamble of Trust**

Liara stood in front of the window of her quarters within her space station as she awaited her new agents to arrive via shuttle. Staring out into the stormy skies of Hagalaz, she briefly thought of her moments the first time she stepped onto this ship. She never thought she'd be in the position she was in now, but she figured hard work and information from the right people would eventually pay off. _'With these two added into the agency, I now at least have a strong right hand when I need to strike. But only if necessary.' _Looking away from the window, she closed the shutters and picked up a photo of an Asari Matriarch. _'Be willing to negotiate with your partners but always have a dagger behind your back and in your grasp. As mother would say.'_ Liara felt a chill as she thought of the stresses that come along with being the most powerful information broker in the galaxy. She buys and sells information and in doing so more networks to form, and in doing that more enemies begin to hide in the dark, tangled in many webs of lies.

Outside of her sleeping quarters, she heard a beeping from one of her monitors. Receiving the message in her omnitool, she answered. "Yes?"

"We've brought the human and Turian." An agent responded. "What are your instructions?"

"Good, sit them in one of the meeting rooms. I will 'be' with them shortly." After disconnecting, she walked over to a computer console, dialing a series of numbers.

"Yes, Shadowbroker?" a voice responded.

"Have a shuttle ready for the Citadel." Liara quickly said.

"Yes ma'am." The agent closed the call.

'_Now if everything goes accordingly, this shouldn't be too hard.'_ Liara exited her quarters and took a seat in front of her audience of monitors. "Let's begin."

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"Alright, the Shadowbroker will be contacting you soon. Follow me to one of the meeting rooms." The agent motioned for Shepard and Garrus to follow.

"Contacting us? I thought we were going to _meet_ the Shadowbroker." Shepard arched her eyebrow as she followed after the agent.

"Meet the Shadowbroker? Please. No one knows what he or even she looks like. All we know is that it's a powerful figure and with all the information of the galaxy at his or her disposal, no one can ever hide. Remember that if you ever decide to pull something reckless." As they arrived to the meeting room, the agent keyed in a numeric code making the door slide open.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration don't you think? And you don't even know if it's a woman or a man? Or even what species this person is?" Shepard rebutted as she took a seat in the empty room, looking at a monitor on the wall. She looked at Garrus and the Turian only shrugged.

"No, it can be assumed that it's a man, but that could always be easily mimicked with tech so it's just a matter of opinion. I'll leave it up to you to make your own." The agent closed the door behind him and his footsteps could be heard disappearing as he walked down the hall.

"This is pointless. There's no way in hell I'm going to work for a stupid voice." Shepard crossed her arms as she raked her auburn hair back, slightly agitated.

"Calm down Shepard, the job pays well and that's all I'll look forward to. You and I both need the money to get on with our own lives and if this is how we'll do it. There's no other way." Garrus was known for keeping his cool even in the most uncomfortable situations. "Besides this was initially your offer until you decided to drag me down with you again and the Shadowbroker decided to check me out too."

Shepard scoffed as she sighed, shaking her head at Garrus's arguement. "Whatever, I mean, yeah I took the offer because it paid good money but damn, jobs where I don't know what or who my employer is makes things look a little too sketchy, and I'm going to have to watch my back even more."

"That won't be necessary." A voice interrupted. The monitor in the room turned on with only wavelengths signaling as sound poured through.

"Shadowbroker I'm assuming?" Garrus began to speak, leaning forward as his arms rested on the table.

"Yes." The Shadowbroker's voice was obviously computer modified and distorted which made it impossible to detect what kind of person wielded the voice.

"Should we call you sir or ma'am? If you're into that sort of thing." Shepard's agitation was still evident in her voice, but it was answered. _'Damn that guy was right, it's impossible to tell who or what this person is.'_

"Only Shadowbroker will be necessary." The voice responded, making Shepard narrow her brows.

"Alright, Shadowbroker, so what's going on? Why are we here now?" Garrus elbowed the annoyed infiltrator in the ribcage to remind her to behave.

"I am pleased to inform you that you have proven your reputation as being skilled in the trade of stealth reconnaissance. Your histories are rather astonishing, if I do say so myself, and I believe you'll make an excellent addition to the Shadow Infiltrators. We need people of your caliber and again I'll be sure you'll be paid handsomely for your efforts."

"How much exactly?" Shepard leaned forward, now resting her elbows on the table. "We have yet to be paid for our last job."

At that very moment, an Asari walked in with two briefcases, making Shepard and Garrus sit up and back, moving their arms and hands off the table. The Asari lifted the cases onto the table and propped them open, revealing about 30,000 credits each.

"As I said before. Handsomely. Oh and, this is my personal assistant, Nyxeris. You'll be making more contact with her and she will be responsible for paying you, so be sure to see her when you are done with your assignments."

"That's if we actually want to do your assignments." Shepard muttered under her breath only to be elbowed again by Garrus.

Nyxeris politely bowed her head as she curtsied a little. "In the future if you have any questions or requests, you can find me in my office. It shouldn't be hard to find. Now if you'll excuse me."

Shepard eyes then focused on the credits revealed to her, making her go wide eyed. "Well you weren't lying about 'handsomely'."

"You would have been paid the full 60,000 Shepard but since you involved your friend here who has proven himself as well, I figured it'd be fair to give him his share."

"Understandable." Shepard and Garrus both closed the suitcases and stared back at the monitor.

"This meeting is finished, but before you leave, I'd like to know if you truly feel comfortable working for me. You have a choice if you want to leave or stay. I give you my word that you won't suffer any sort of consequence, and I won't be worried if you for some reason decide to mention where you've been. It'll be unlikely for any official to find me or my ship. I confidently guarantee it."

It was obvious the statement was made directly towards Shepard since she presented her uneasiness more than her Turian friend. She bit her lower lip as she kept her stare at the monitor. Little did she know, she and Garrus were both being watched by cameras hanging in the corners of the room. Liara carefully watched their body language and kept an eye on their conversing.

"Well this job is a no brainer for me. I will take it." Garrus stood up happily with his briefcase in hand. "I'll see you Shepard, and I do hope you consider this job. It's not so bad and c'mon look at us. We're meant for it."

Shepard crossed her arms once more as she looked at Garrus with a bit of annoyance and shock at his sudden eagerness.

"Listen, like I said, I already made my agreement. I'm gonna head back home and find out what I'm going to do with these credits." Garrus began walking to the door. "And Shepard, I'm positive under these circumstances, working for the Shadowbroker may offer the protection you need." There was a brief pause as they shared glances. "Think about it. You need this as much as she may need us."

With that said Garrus walked out of the meeting room, leaving Shepard to her thoughts. She let out a sigh and gripped onto the handle of suitcase, standing up from her seat.

"Well, Shepard? Have you decided?"

Rubbing her hair from her face, combing it back to reveal more exasperation, she looked up at the camera. "Yeah, why not. I give in. You didn't lie about the pay, and I can tell that you're uh..man..woman..figurehead, of your word. Just to be clear, I know of your reputation of both being dangerous and reliable. I just hope it'll be the latter."

"You'll just have to gamble on that, Shepard. And just as long as you do your job, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Sure." Shepard gulped as if she just signed her name on her deathbed. With the suitcase tightly gripped, she left the room only to be met by an agent.

"I've been told on the conclusion of your meeting with the Shadowbroker I am to escort you to a shuttle to take you home. The Citadel correct? Within the wards?" The agent held his assault rifle to his chest as he stood there.

"Yeah, and it frightens me that you know where I live. But then again I shouldn't be surprised." Shepard said quietly and sarcastically as she followed the agent to the shuttle station aboard the ship.

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Shepard didn't know whether to be excited or not to be home, back in the wards. It wasn't as bad as being in Omega's streets for a while, but the danger and risks for being out and about were still the same. Gangs still loitered among the neighborhoods and seedy bars, and crime was barely controlled by C-sec. Shepard's apartment wasn't in a quiet neighborhood, nor was it safe. It was usually loud with street ruckus and deviances occurring almost twenty-four hours a day, and occasional sirens that echoed in the dirty, unkept streets. The inside of Shepard's apartment was neatly organized and clean, completely opposite of her environment. She did work for the military in some point of her life, but that was left behind her, minus a bit of the stereotypical mannerisms. The ex-marine only had the memories of her experience and of the events that took place, but mainly drowned it out with her supply of hard, human liquors she consumed before bed. Placing her suitcase under her bed, Shepard laid back on her recliner, swirling the bit of brandy that was in her glass. Even though it was rational to take a high paying job that she needed, it gave its impression of a double sided coin. She knew that it will benefit her, but to what extent. She knows she'll be good at her job, but how far will she go with it, and if she decided to 'retire' will it be possible. The answer to Shepard's question was at the bottom of her glass, the liquid burning over her tongue.

After managing a few hours of uneasy sleep, she was interrupted by a hurried knock on her door. Glancing at her omnitool, it was way passed the time for anyone to be out, unless one was among the hoodlums of the wards. Walking up to the door, she keyed in a combination of numbers to view her door's camera, that she actually installed herself, but she only came to see that the image was fuzzy. "What the fuck, did somebody…?" Feeling a bit alarmed, she hurried for her Carnifex that was atop her counter and held it up to her as she placed a free hand on the door's holographic button. Hearing another hurried series of knocks, Shepard inhaled and swung the door open, pointing her gun out, only to find that no one was there. "…Hello?" Shepard cautiously leaned over to the side and looked left and right of her door. "I know you're here, where the fuck are you?"

"I suggest you keep your voice down or else you'll wake the neighbors." A feminine voice was heard from behind Shepard.

Reacting quickly, Shepard immediately stepped back into her apartment and the door glowed blue as it swung shut. Before even attempting to point her gun at the intruder, it was ripped out of her hands by a biotic pull. She too came flying forward, hitting her head hard on the floor. "Agh, fuck! Who the hell are you?!" Shepard yelled angrily as she felt herself being pulled up on to her feet, just barely enough for her toes to touch the ground.

"Shepard, what did I say, didn't I tell you to keep your voice down? Now please hear me out I'm not here to harm you." The voice was gentle as the figure began approach Shepard who was still held up by biotics.

Shepard watched as she saw a figure leave the shadows of her apartment. Her assailant was wearing a white and blue skin-tight uniform, hugging her prominent feminine features. It had a bit of light armor covering her shoulders, breasts, and parts of her legs and arms. The woman also had a helmet on that only fitted Asari, with a coat that stopped at her waist and flowed into a half skirt that stopped at her upper thigh. "What do you want?" Shepard gritted her teeth as she struggled within the biotic's grip. "How do you know my name?"

"Is that any way to talk to your employer?" The Asari took off her helmet and revealed her clear blue skin and her deep, royal, blue eyes. "Hear me out?"

Shepard nodded as her brows narrowed, gulping heavily. The Asari released her from her biotic hold. Falling hard to the floor with a thud, Shepard managed to catch herself with her hands and feet. "So my employer huh? The Shadowbroker?"

"Correct. I'm glad you are able to put two and two together" The Asari leaned against a wall as she egged on the obviously-annoyed human. "And I'm sure you're wondering why would I come to you now and in person when I was simply just a voice not too long ago?"

"That's about right." Shepard ignored the Asari's smart remark and switched on the lights, completely revealing the Asari that intruded into her apartment. Regardless of the situation she could not ignore the fact that her employer, _the_ Shadowbroker, was a very beautiful and dangerously alluring Asari.

"I will only tell you what you need to know, no more and no less." The Asari placed her hands on her hips, looking at the red haired woman with her eager yet serious eyes. "Like you, I'm taking a chance on our business together."

"Heh, a gamble. Like what you said earlier about my trust in you as my so called 'boss'." Shepard filled her empty glass with more brandy as she returned the Shadowbroker's glance.

"Hm." The Asari smiled as she kept her sights fixed on Shepard, the thought of the woman remembering her words heightening her interest. "Well, let me begin by introducing myself properly." Approaching Shepard in a slow pace, the heels of her boots clicking on the floor, she extended out her hand. "My name is Liara T'soni."

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**A/N:** There's chapter 2! I probably ended it awkwardly but it would have been too much. Just have to wait for Chapter 3! :) Please leave your reviews and comments and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.**  
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	3. Chapter 3 - A Formal Arrangement

**A/N: **All characters and galaxy lore belong to BioWare!

This chapter will have a bit of fluff but it will get down to business! Also, I want to thank those who have left their thoughts and comments. They've been very helpful and given me more insight on what I need for this story. Big thanks especially to Theodur and Heiogha for support and input :)

To clarify a few things, the characters of this A/U will remain relatively close to BioWare's lore, but of course I may bend and twist certain things about them. Even so, I'll be sure to provide back story in the further chapters to come!

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**Chapter 3: A Formal Arrangement**

"You see Shepard, the Shadow Infiltrators are more than just a group of people. It's more than just being able to do the job." Liara had been pacing in Shepard's living room as she explained the depth of the human's new job. "Being in this position of power, I need to have a trump card."

"A trump card you say? Like a safeguard in case things get ugly?" Shepard had taken her seat back on her recliner as she watched and listened to her new boss, finally calmed from her earlier edginess.

"Being in the information exchanging business is very delicate and tricky. And always, ugly." Liara emphasized on her last few words, her thoughts briefly tracing back to her earlier days of being the Shadowbroker. "You always have to be careful of who you get your information from. You need to always prevent loose ends from ever forming."

"So play nice with others?" Shepard was partially joking. She knew the reality of the job, and she understood the risks of working for the Shadowbroker. "I'm kidding, you know?"

Liara was a bit struck at the human's comment before it was taken back. "Good, for a moment I took you seriously. Honestly, even with all the information I have on your species, I fear I'll never fully understand them." Shaking her head, the Asari went back on topic. "But yes, in a sense you're right. I do have to play nice occasionally in order to prevent giving people a reason to become loose ends. Although…"

As Liara's voice trailed off, she walked up to the human's window, peaking out into the empty, dark streets of the wards. "There are times when that won't enough, and that's when you and the others come into play."

"You said others, and earlier you mentioned we were a group. If I'm allowed to know, how many people we are talking about?" Shepard looked up at Liara as silence lingered between them for a moment.

"Five." Liara stated. "Only five people who I am willing to put my trust in. And it's only you five who know my identity. To be honest it took some time and extensive research for me to even consider such a thing. You know statistics on chances that it could be a bad idea among massive amounts of background checks." Liara chuckled, understanding how ridiculous she relied on numbers to guarantee the odds were in her favor.

"Stats and background checks huh? So, since you did carefully pick out who you wanted to be in this group, I want to know, why me then? What made me stick out?" Shepard knew she used to be a high ranking commanding officer in the Alliance and had graduated from the N7 program in the top percentile of the class, but she knew she wasn't the only one. There were many people out there who were as good as or possibly better than her.

"Skipping over your skills in tactical combat and recon and impressive physicals, it's because you're careful and you ask questions, which I have to add, can be dangerous. However, I know you're an intelligent woman who can think rationally and logically even under moments of stress. I've read several reports about you and I dove deeper into your files. I know almost everything I need to know about you. Your adaptability and quick thinking is unique and you take every precaution needed in order to make the right choice. Even if others don't think so." Liara couldn't describe her reasoning completely and saying that it was simply a 'gut feeling' wasn't going to be enough to quell the human's doubt and curiosity. Although, she admitted to herself that Shepard was the person she took the biggest risk on. In her mind, Shepard was one of those people who could fall on one side of the fence or the other.

"But that's not everything about me. You still do not _know _me." Shepard stared into Liara's eyes as she firmly spoke.

"That's the part of you I'm willing to take my chances on, and it's what sets you apart from the other four. You all may share similar characteristics; however, there are differences that I could vaguely pick out that makes you an individual. I admit though, I was able to be more secure with my decisions with the others. Surprisingly, you're the one I'm taking the bigger risk on. And don't ask me why, it'll only complicate matters. Please just accept it."

Shepard sighed and nodded reluctantly, slightly bothered at the fact that she underestimated the extent of the Shadowbroker's knowledge and that the Asari was vague in her reasoning. However, at the same time she felt flattered that she stuck out the most to Liara, in the sense of being a variable to her, an unknown regardless of how much the Asari knew.

Breaking the awkward silence, Shepard cleared her throat. "So, only five huh? You know what's odd? I know it's a small group, but how you run your business, you make it a fact that no one is allowed to know who you are, but you being here and wanting to share a mutual trust with me and the other four, is making you look hypocritical."

"The Shadowbroker before me believed in utter secrecy; however, that led to his own demise. He was too confident that no one would find him and relied too much on his solitude, so when he was trapped, he had no way out. I won't dive into the details about that, but all you need to know is I simply want to prevent it from happening to me. I will take the risk of making my identity open to a select few for my own protection." Liara stretched her arms behind her as she clasped her hands together. "And besides, from a business perspective, certain 'things' that need to be acquired or even dealt with will be even easier. Things of high importance."

"I guess I understand." Shepard sighed again but heavier as she scratched the back of her head. "So, the Shadow Infiltrators are pretty much your right hand?"

"Excuse me?" Liara arched her indigo colored brow.

"Sorry, forgot, you're not used to human expressions. Uhh…okay, I'm assuming you're right handed correct?" Shepard held out her right hand to the Asari. As she nodded, and without thinking, Liara held hers up to Shepard's, only a few centimeters away from touching.

"Eh, alright, well since it is your dominate hand, think of the Shadow Infiltrator's being your 'strong side', your 'right hand'…get it? And it also emphasizes how it's close to you, almost a part of you." Shepard looked confused as she thought about how she worded the phrase but went along with it anyway. "I don't know if that's clear to you but you see my point anyway?"

"Interesting, Shepard. I think I do." Liara smiled and moved away from the human as she crossed her arms. "Then yes, the Shadow Infiltrators are my right hand. The most trusted people within my organization. You're more than just my agent and do more than just gather information for me. Oh and speaking of which, you are not to tell or even bring up the word and meaning of 'Shadow Infiltrators'. When people begin wondering, that's when questions arise, and curiosity soon kills the cat. As you humans say."

"I get it. We answer only to you, and we take care of delicate business." Shepard leaned forward as she rested her elbows on her knees. "Seems pretty straight forward to me."

"So do you feel more comfortable now that you know your employer?" Liara smiled coyly as she remembered Shepard's agitation in their first conversation. "Unlike your Turian friend, you were very uneasy at first."

"I still kind of am. Secrets are dangerous and I expect that, even with our new relationship, there is a fine line between what I should know and what I need to know correct?" Shepard walked over to Liara standing only a couple feet away from her.

"Correct. Information is power, Shepard. If you know too much, you'll become a threat; you know a little, you'll stay safe." Liara took a single step back as the human approached her.

"Right. I will admit, I do feel a lot better now that I've met you and finally made my own observation and opinion on you." Shepard smirked.

"Oh? What would that be?" Liara's tone had suddenly lightened.

"The little you know, the safer you'll be." Shepard's smirk grew into a smile as she used the Asari's own words against her.

Liara quietly chuckled as she began walking to the exit of Shepard's apartment, her hand hovering over the holographic button. "Well played, Shepard. I believe we'll be getting along just fine."

Before she could leave, Shepard stopped her. "Wait. So are meetings like this going to be normal? Like the random intrusions and attempting to scare the shit out of me stuff?"

Liara shook her head as she began to laugh lightly at the human's vulgarity. "I can't say. It'll probably depend on the gravity of the situation, or if it's a matter of need, or if I simply just want to. Just know if I meet up with you, it's for other reasons, reasons that may be classified to others. If I contact you through other means, it's business. Simple enough." With that said, Liara quickly left Shepard's apartment. Following after to see her off, Shepard walked to her door and looked left and right, not having a single eye sight of the Asari.

"Gee, usually the mysterious, secretive types get me but this is a whole different level." Shepard shook her head as she rested her forehead against her palm. "Agh what am I saying, talking about my boss. I might've drunk a little too much. Whatever, I need a cold shower." As the door slid shut behind her, she lifted her right hand, staring at it in a reminiscing manner. "Her right hand huh?"

xxx xxx xxx

It was almost midafternoon when Shepard finally began stirring on her bed. She tossed and turned a bit and finally opened her blue eyes, the sun blinding her for a moment as it bled through her blinds. Looking over at her omnitool she checked the time and saw that it was already thirteen-hundred hours and had an unread message.

Yawning loudly followed by an exhausted sounding groan, she stretched for her omnitool. Finally retrieving it, she opened up the message.

_TO: Shepard_  
_FROM: SB_

_MESSAGE:_

_Shepard,_

_There is going to be an event taking place at Bekenstein. I will give you the coordinates and you'll be receiving a parcel later today. The event will be taking place tomorrow at 1500 hours and you'll be working with a partner._

_You will be briefed by your contact when you arrive._

_-SB_

"Hm..tomorrow? I guess killing time won't hurt a bit." Closing out the message, she dialed numbers on her omnitool and after a few rings, it was answered. "Hey Garrus, it's Shepard. Yeah, I got a visit last night. Listen, it's probably best to not talk about it over comm-link. Meet me in the lounging area by the souvenir shop."

After hanging up her call with Garrus, Shepard got out of bed and stretched herself out, bones cracking around her back, arms, and neck. She got into her bathroom and washed her face, shaking her head slightly to get the exhaustion out of her system. Ignoring the part of her that still craved for more sleep, Shepard changed into her casual clothes which consisted of a plain, black t-shirt; dark, straight jeans, and black boots.

xxx xxx xxx

"So, you had a strange visit from our employer last night?" Garrus had jumped straight onto the topic as Shepard joined him on the couches.

"Yeah, I was freaked out at first, but it was quite a heavy talk." Shepard slouched in her seat and slid down a bit, leaning her head back. "Like, now I'm realizing the full extent of how dangerous this job can be."

"Realizing your realization from earlier?" Garrus joked as his mandibles moved from his low toned laughter. "Kidding Shepard, but I know. Unlike you I jumped for this opportunity so at least one of us was thinking."

"Hah, well. That's pretty much sums up our friendship doesn't it?" Shepard chuckled lightly but her smile eventually faded. "Although, being such a mysterious person with so many secrets, I find it reckless that she would want to share her identity. There are so many things that can go wrong."

"But she did explain why though to you didn't she?" Garrus crossed his arms.

"Something about the previous Shadowbroker." Shepard rubbed along her jawline. "Which is weird, I never thought there used to be a different Shadowbroker. She didn't get into it and I didn't ask. I figured it wasn't my place to mettle."

"That's surprising, you're usually one to pry." Garrus joked the human again, this time receiving a playful, but still hard, punch to his shoulder. "Kidding again, Shepard."

"Right, Vakarian." Shepard shifted in her seat and lifted her leg over the other. "Although, it bothered me a bit that my checkered past came crawling to my door."

"I understand. The same thing happened to me. It's a frightening thing when someone knows so much about you." Garrus narrowed his 'brow' as he let out a disgruntled sigh.

"We all have our baggage Garrus. We should have expected it." Shepard briefly traced back through her memories.

"Speaking of which Shepard, has the Alliance contacted you?" Garrus knew he was going to tread on thin ice for asking, but he wanted to know.

"Only once since I left, but I really don't want to talk about it." Shepard tensed up and quickly veered away from the subject. "Anyway, I already have an assignment from 'the boss'."

Sending a copy of the message to Garrus, Shepard waited as the Turian read it. "Well?"

"Well, I gotta tell you Shepard. It's not me who'll be waiting for you on Bekenstein." Garrus looked up at Shepard as he turned off his omnitool.

"Hm, well it makes sense. Being a small group I'm sure she needs plenty of things taken care of." Noting what she said, Shepard's head perked up. "Oh, by the way, did she mentioned anything about the others? Besides the fact that there are a total of five of us?"

"Now that I think about it no. She only mentioned that we had similar strengths in stealth recon, but nothing more than that." Garrus began thinking.

"Probably did that on purpose." Shepard leaned forward. "Smart move. Trust a handful of people, but keep those people divided to avoid any discrepancy."

"Only now it's a bit different since you and I know each other." Garrus pointed out.

"If it was going to be a problem, she wouldn't have done it. Probably didn't see a risk in us." Shepard covered her mouth as she rested her chin on her palm, her elbow digging into her leg. "Whatever, she has her reasons and I'm sure she won't tell us. What a great job we have."

Garrus laughed at her sarcasm. "It pays well." Glancing at the time, the Turian stood up. "I gotta head out Shepard. Like you, I received my assignment already as well."

Shepard arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah, a job back on Palaven. Just a standard reconnaissance assignment." Garrus did a little salute as he began walking off. "I'll talk to you soon Shepard."

xxx xxx xxx

Returning back to her apartment, Shepard slipped off her shirt and laid it on top of her bed. Being only in her sports bra, the woman walked over to her computer console and began exploring the Extranet.

"Guess it wouldn't hurt to know more about Bekenstein. I'd rather not walk in blind." Shepard began typing away and scrolling through the numerous pages about Bekenstein's demographics.

"Hmm…a human Illium pretty much. That's comforting to know." Shepard shut off her console and decided to call it day to catch up on some sleep, but before she should she heard a knock on her door.

Looking at the camera feed of the outside of her door, she saw no one but a package, a relatively large one. "Does everyone in this job know how to disappear in a blink of an eye or something? Sheesh."

Retrieving it, Shepard looked all over the box and did not find any sort of label. "It's probably that 'parcel' she mentioned." Opening the box on her bed, the human's eyes widened. "What the hell?"

Inside the box was a matching pair of slacks and a blazer with a folded piece of paper on top of it which read:

_Shepard,_

_I may have forgotten to mention that the event was a formal party. I hope you're not nervous around crowds._

_-Liara_

Looking down, Shepard closed her eyes and let out an irritated sigh. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Shepard threw the letter to the side and picked up the blazer, analyzing it from to back. "I hate parties."

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**A/N: **There you have it. This chapter was a bit longer than I thought it was going to be, but I guess that means just more to read for your enjoyment! Again, please leave your comments and thoughts with me. They're much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4 - An Assassin's Doubt

**A/N: **Thanks again to everyone who has been enjoying the story thus far! I know this may be a bit different than what most are expecting but I still thank you all for your ongoing support :) Things are beginning to unfold just slightly but I'll try to pick up the pace. There's still backstory that need to be taken care of so bear with me.

Anyways, enough blabbing. Here's chapter four! Please leave your thoughts and comments. Suggestions are always welcome.

All characters and galaxy lore of Mass Effect belong to BioWare

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**Chapter 4: An Assassin's Doubt**

"I seriously can't believe I'm actually doing this." Shepard had recently arrived to Bekenstein and was now inside a skycar, on her way to a party she knew she wasn't going to enjoy. Glancing at her omnitool, she saw that it was nearing three in the afternoon. "1500 right on the mark."

Exiting out of the skycar, Shepard straightened out her blazer and collar, fixing the pistol provided to her in the inside of her coat. Her head perked up as she saw the massive mansion. The building itself was a marvel of elegant design, and it was obvious that the owner was wealthy. Just from the sight of all the outlandish décor, Shepard took a guess that the host did not hold back in showing it off either. Observing her surroundings, she saw a good number of people arriving, slowly bottlenecking into the mansion's entrance. Each person was of a high class, but Shepard knew that there was something else. Something that didn't feel right.

"Surprised, Shepard?" A voice suddenly chimed in.

"You can't be serious." Shepard turned around only to be greeted by the one and only Liara T'soni who was dressed in a tight purple dress that sat comfortably on her curves. The dress had a collar that sheltered most of the Asari's neck and had long sleeves covered by gloves, which all fitted her slender form. As reserved as the Asari looked, anyone including Shepard could see just how much of a beauty Liara was and how captivating she could be. '_I guess I can't complain too much.'_ Shepard bit her tongue.

Snapping back from her thoughts, Shepard grabbed Liara by the upper arm and pulled her gently to the side. "What the hell are you doing here? And…what's with all the face make-up?" Shepard didn't pay too much attention to Liara herself, but when she actually took a good look at her, she noticed that the Asari's plain blue skin was covered in markings. "Did you get those tattooed or something?"

"First off, you don't address your employer that way." Pulling her arm back, she straightened her dress. "Secondly, this mission is actually a personal matter of mine, and Asari don't get these types of markings tattooed. They're actually genetic. I just needed a ploy to make sure I don't get that much unwanted attention."

"Well, you still will since you look beautiful." Shepard cringed as if her comment had bad aftertaste. "But right now you're proving to be a rather inconsistent, and might I add, agitating employer." Shepard kept a hard stare at Liara only to be stared back with a look of innocent surprise. "…with all due respect." The red-haired woman cleared her throat as she returned her sights to the mansion.

"You shouldn't be upset. After all I did say you were going to meet up with a contact here. It's not like I lied to you." Liara wittedly rebutted. "Oh, and you don't look so bad yourself, Shepard. For a woman like yourself I think you'd look rather astonishing in a gown, but I figured it'd be easier for you to do your job in that."

Shepard rolled her eyes as she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Meeting _you _here was the last thing I expected. Especially at a crowded, social get-together of snooty douche bags." Shepard's voice went rough as she restrained herself from being boiled over by her temper. "Ack, whatever. Look just tell me what I need to know and what I need to do."

Liara stepped in front of Shepard, fixing up the front of the human's blazer just a bit more. "Simple." With one more tug and pat on the shoulders of Shepard's attire, Liara stepped over to the human's side, gracefully sliding her arm around hers. "You are to make sure I remain safe while we're here."

Shepard narrowed her brows and turned her head towards the Asari who was successfully beginning to crawl under her skin. "I doubt I'm getting paid to babysit you while you lollygag around with these people."

"You're right Shepard." As Liara began to lead her and Shepard to the mansion's entrance, she began glancing to their left and right. "The thing is, these aren't just ordinary guests. They're actually criminals."

"I knew something felt off about this place." Shepard tensed as they began approaching the rest of the attendees. "So are we talking about like, mob bosses and stuff?" Shepard lowered her voice as she kept herself alert.

Liara leaned closer to Shepard as she whispered against the human's cheek. "Some are but these people have trades in everything you can think of. Murder, theft, fraud, you name it. All of them the best of the best and very dangerous."

As the couple arrived to the door, they were approached and rudely greeted by a human man in armor. "Alright, and who might you be?" The man spoke with a clipboard in hand.

"Bellaina Sonis." Liara casually said. "And this is my partner Allison Gunn. Donovan Hock expected us from Illium." Shepard remained silent throughout the exchange, only keeping an eye out for anything conspicuous.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I don't-" The human began to speak before being interrupted by another human man in a white suit.

"Ah! Ms. Sonis and Ms. Gunn! Welcome to my home. Are my men causing you trouble?" Donovan Hock approached the guards and patted them away.

"Not so much Mr. Hock, they're just doing their job." Liara led Shepard with a small stride to the inside of the mansion. "Beautiful home by the way Mr. Hock, and you have quite the audience for today."

"That's correct. And may I add, I've heard about your stellar reputation in Illium, I'm impressed." Hock gave an assuring nod of admiration as he led the couple further inside the mansion. "Today we have a very special agenda."

"What might that be Mr. Hock?" Liara spoke calmly and professionally. Her persona came naturally.

"Today we will not only talk about and celebrate our successes in the underbelly of society, but we will be also talking about that infamous Shadowbroker." Hock's voice darkened as the word 'Shadowbroker' left his lips. "I uncovered something not too long ago about the bastard that I feel my comrades should know and I'm thinking of selling it to the highest bidder tonight!"

Shepard's eyebrow twitched and slightly turned her head towards Liara, mainly looking at her with her peripherals. Instinctively, Shepard pulled her arm closer to her, keeping the Asari close.

"But ladies, I do not want to spoil anything just yet, just have fun and mingle for the meantime while I get everything prepared." With a courteous bow, Hock left the couple to continue his role as host.

"Now I see how it's a personal problem." Shepard and Liara began walking through the house, observing the environment and people around them.

"Yes. Apparently it's enough of lead on how to find me. I need that taken back." Liara kept her arm loosely around Shepard's. "The problem is, I don't know what it could be."

"This is going to be troublesome. You think it's a leak from the inside?" Shepard and Liara arrived to the mansion's balcony and took a seat on one of the loungers.

"I will keep that as a possibility but something came to my attention not too long ago that dissuaded me from that presumption." Liara crossed her legs as she stared out into the view.

"And that is?" Shepard kept her attention at Liara, both in admiration and in attentiveness.

"There are people that want me gone as much as these people here, but I am more worried about the other. If Hock does have information that could compromise me, these people have networks and through that network, word will spread like wildfire." Liara rested her chin on her hand. "I don't care how it happened now/ I'd rather just get our hands on that information."

"Wait a minute." Shepard's attention suddenly shifted to a window not too far from where she and Liara were sitting. "Do you see that? Someone's in there, and I'm sure he or she wasn't invited."

"What are you talking about Shepard?" Liara looked in the same direction and saw, through the window, a person in all black with a hood over their face. It appeared that the intruder was rummaging through items, almost ransacking the whole room. "Hmm, snooping where they shouldn't be."

"I'm gonna check it out. I won't take the chance of that person finding what we came here for." Shepard stood and began walking to the railing, but before hopping over, she looked back at Liara. "Will you be alright on your own?"

"Don't worry about me, Shepard. Just find what we need and stop that person. If you're right, then we cannot risk it." Liara remained on the lounger as she watched her agent leap over the railing and quietly running to the window. _'No loose ends Shepard.'_

Shepard continued her way to the windows, looking almost frantically for an entrance. "If I don't hurry that thief is going to get away." Sliding her fingertips over the glass, she attempted to find anything that might have been altered to open them. "Ah, here we go." Gently pushing in the cut glass, Shepard gently caught it and guided it on the floor inside and crawled in. "From the look of it, she must have been upstairs."

Tiptoeing hurriedly up the stairs, Shepard saw an unlocked door. Taking out her pistol, she attached the silencer at the end of it and continued cautiously to the holographic button. Keeping her free hand over it, Shepard held out the pistol, ready to point and aim when the time came for it. Tapping the holographic button, the door slid open and just as she suspected she spotted the person in black across the room. Shepard aimed her gun right at the intruder's head, her arms perfectly still and straight.

"I suggest you stop what you're doing." Shepard narrowed her eyes as she fixed an aim on the thief who turned out to be a woman.

"Or what? You're going to shoot me?" The woman in the black hood held out her hands, a datapad in one and what appeared to be a greybox in the other.

"I might but if you tell me who you are and what you're doing here I may reconsider it." Shepard kept a finger on the trigger as she watched the woman carefully.

"Alright then, that sounds fair." The woman lowered her arms. "My name is Kasumi Goto. And this right here is what I was sent here to get." Kasumi waved the datapad at Shepard. "And this here is something I wanted for myself while I was here." The thief waved the greybox. "From the looks of it, you want the datapad."

"What gave you that notion?" Shepard kept her gun steady, still pointing at Kasumi.

"It's obvious you work for the Shadowbroker. I mean, this whole party is about finding the Broker and you're here, sneaking around and hoping to take back your boss's secrets." Kasumi tapped the datapad to her temple. "Simple if you really think about it."

"Hand it over then." Shepard turned on the laser sight of her pistol and had it point to the thief's forehead.

"You seem like a reasonable sort." Kasumi curled her lips. "If you let me go, I will leave the datapad here. But I would still want to take the greybox with me. Honestly, it's all I wanted. I only took the job because it gave me the chance to get this." The thief placed the datapad on a coffee table in between them. "So what do you say? Let me go?"

Shepard contemplated on killing the woman only because she did not want to risk loose ends. She had no idea whether or not Kasumi knew the contents of the datapad, but her gut told her to reconsider the reckless thought. "Do you know what's on the datapad?"

"It's just coordinates and travel paths but it means nothing to me. It doesn't make sense." Kasumi's free hand reached for the back of her belt without Shepard noticing.

Shepard kept pondering on what to do and didn't know if it would be the wisest choice to kill Kasumi or let her go. She knew Liara's safety was a part of her job and having loose ends will only make it harder. However, she saw no reason to kill the thief other than to 'just be safe'. In Shepard's mind, assassinations were different in a sense that they served the purpose of shifting power and control, and as an assassin, she is merely an extension of her employer. A weapon wielded by another's hand.

"Egh, fine you're free to go." Shepard lowered her weapon and sheathed it as she walked over to the coffee table, taking the datapad. "If that greybox is truly what you came here for then I guess we're done here."

Kasumi loosened her grip on a flash grenade strapped on the back of her belt. "I'm relieved you saw reason Shepard. I was worried I was going to have to use other means to escape." With the greybox in hand, Kasumi quickly walked to the door, but before she exited the room, Shepard stopped her.

"Wait, can you at least tell me who sent you to get this?" After looking at the datapad briefly, Shepard noticed that the travel paths and coordinates were of Liara's ship in Hagalaz, in addition to several routes of shuttles that arrived and left.

"The Alliance." Kasumi tugged on her hood and activated a camouflage cloak through her omnitool, disappearing from sight, and only the gentle sounds of her footsteps could be heard until they finally disappeared.

Shepard looked down at the datapad and her brows narrowed. "The Alliance? Why would they want Liara?" Recalling what Liara said earlier, the Asari was more worried about the Alliance wanting her gone. It made sense since Liara can be posed as a dangerous threat, but how dangerous and what has she done to actually grab the Alliance's attention. Questions began to mold in Shepard's mind but knowing that she wasn't in the right place, she quickly left the room and back out where she came in. Leaping over the railing back onto the balcony, she noticed that the party was still going and no one seemed to be under any suspicion.

"Shepard." Liara came around the corner, hurriedly walking up to the human. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah, I…" Shepard was still buzzed in the head from her earlier doubts and questions. "I found this datapad."

"And the thief?" Liara took the datapad from Shepard as she began scrolling through its contents.

"She's been taken care of." Shepard quietly said. "Are we done here?"

"Yes. Let's go. Hock won't be able to announce his news without these so there's nothing to worry about." Liara wrapped her arm around Shepard's once again, noticing that it was a lot tenser from before. "Are you alright Shepard?"

"Yeah, let's just get the hell outta here."


	5. Chapter 5 - An Unexpected Request

**A/N: **Thank you all for your continued support of this story. Before reading I just want to let you know that this chapter has a bit more fluff before actually proceeding to the main plot and it's going to be focused on Shepard and Liara individually and what kind of mess is going on with these two lovely characters! I guess adding more 'umph' to it so to speak so I hope it will entertain you. :)

And as usual please leave your reviews and comments with me and any suggestions. I'm highly open to them and they may shape my train of thought for this story.

Also I did update the summary because I ended up steering in a direction I did not expect! Haha, but not worries it's relatively the same, just minus the last line.

Alright enough blabbering from me, please enjoy this chapter of The Broker's Shadow!

All characters and galaxy lore of Mass Effect belong to BioWare!

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**Chapter 5: An Unexpected Request**

Shepard arrived at the Citadel, relieved that her day was over. Dragging her feet to the skycab's terminal for a lift to the wards, she stretched out her arms and let out a yawn. '_Bed just sounds like a terrific idea right about now.'_ The skycab pulled over and the tired woman fell into the backseat.

Finally arriving home, Shepard began undressing herself from her uncomfortable formal clothes, the blazer making a loud thud on the floor from the concealed pistol. Walking into the bathroom, Shepard turned on her shower and stepped into it as steam gradually filled the air. The hot water poured over her face as it traveled down her body, washing away all the stresses that accumulated throughout the day. Closing her eyes as the tiny bolts of liquid splashed against her skin, she began thinking about the day's events. However, they started treading dangerously on the borders of a forbidden desire. Shepard began imagining the first instant she laid her eyes on Liara on Bekenstein. She could not deny how beautiful the Asari was and how she presented herself was more than just pleasing to be around. Even with this new, mild attraction, Shepard couldn't be convinced to even think about any sort of bond between her and Liara. They didn't know each other. Hell, Shepard knew nothing about Liara other than she is an Asari with many secrets. However, that was what attracted the human. She wanted the chase, she wanted the guessing game. Shepard understood she was at a disadvantage, but Liara's aura of mystery was too inviting. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Shepard even liked moments when Liara would know just what to say to get under her skin. The human's newly discovered likings suddenly grew intensely and made her heart skip once.

"Egh, I must be out of my mind…" Shepard shook her head as she turned off her shower, water dripping from her drenched hair and soaked skin.

Dressing herself in only boxer briefs and an N7 t-shirt, Shepard walked into her kitchen and opened a pantry filled with several bottles of liquor. Like any other night, she took out a tumbler glass and her choice of whiskey or brandy. Pouring the pacifying liquid into the glass, Shepard sighed both from exhaustion and embarrassment. She wanted to drown out her thoughts; they were her worst enemy especially when she was alone. Shepard was never one to talk about herself or her feeling with others, so bottling up was the only thing she knew. She never expected that it would eventually catch up to her, but she's finding out the hard way that it did. And it wasn't going to stop unless she did something about it. The question was what will she do? What can she do?

Already downing three glasses, Shepard rubbed her face, her eyes stinging from utter fatigue. Falling onto her couch, unable to make it to her bedroom, the infiltrator closed her eyes.

xxx xxx xxx

As Liara studied the datapad she and Shepard retrieved from Hock's party, many thoughts came racing to her head. She felt the fear of being trapped in a corner, but what has been calming her nerves was the fact she had the Shadow Infiltrators. It was time for her to play that trump card, but the issue was that it had to be carefully planned. She could not just send them in recklessly. She knew that the Alliance was closing in on her; she knew that she wielded the only thing that the Alliance needed to shut Cerberus down for good. In her gut, Liara wanted to just give the information to the Alliance. The reputation of Cerberus and its hate-crimes towards non-humans and inhumane experimentation lingered in the Asari's mind, filling her with selfish guilt. It wasn't easy for her to make the choice since they had someone important in their custody. For the sake of that person's life, Liara couldn't just 'switch sides' even though both parties are evenly corrupted in their own ways.

Because of Liara's hesitation to even assist the Alliance, the faction decided to try to take her resources by force. Since the elimination of one of their tactical officers, Hammond Reich, the Alliance assumed it as a deliberate attack of the Shadowbroker, framing her on the side of Cerberus; little do they know that she was being blackmailed. However, this was her fault for underestimating the power of the Illusive Man. This was the game that she had fallen into, the shifting of powers within the human population that could possibly affect the rest of Council and even Terminus space. For a while she remained as the neutral party, supplying both sides with information as long as they had the credits to do so. Although, because of the pressure increasing on both sides, the factions started tag-teaming in order to sway Liara into choosing a side. The Alliance will not stop harassing her and Cerberus will kill their prisoner.

"I don't know!" Liara slammed her fists onto her console, almost in tears as she felt herself breaking down. "I need to regain control, but how can I?!"

It was hours passed since Liara returned from Bekenstein and she still remained awake, analyzing and formulating plans to fight back against the Alliance and Cerberus without severe consequences. To the Asari, rescuing her mother took priority over the harassment she had to suffer from the Alliance. From that very thought, Liara began branching off a possible chain of events that could give her a fighting chance to get her out of the corner she was slowly being pushed into.

"Nyxeris." Liara tapped on her computer console.

"Yes, Liara?" Nyxeris' voice spoke through the comm-link,

"I know it's late but this mission is a Class A assignment. I need you to fly to the Sol System and find anything that you can about the Alliance scouting patrols in Terminus and Citadel space. There are agents in the area, see if they have anything. Report your progress to me. " Liara tapped her fingers on the console as she waited for a response.

"Understood, Shadowbroker. Observer, out." Nyxeris hung up the call.

Liara bit her lip as she began thinking of her next step. "As soon as she gets that information for me, I'm going to need something to distract them." The Asari began to think. '_That should spread them thin. In the meantime, I'll have Garrus take care of the officers in charge. If bribery won't do, then…'_

Liara was at the point where she was not going to take any chances. "They will have to be eliminated." She began seeing a flaw in her plan, but suddenly an idea had sprung up in her head. "If you want to believe that I am working for that racist group, then fine." Liara had plotted down a course for Garrus to take very carefully. In addition to wiping out these officers, she was going to have the turian plant enough evidence that was to insinuate that Cerberus was mainly behind the attack. "Cerberus is the aggressor, not I." Liara knew that her plan could go one of two ways. It was either the Alliance will go after Cerberus again to fight them off, or they will simply believe that they were sent by her to minimize the harassment. Regardless, it was going to buy enough time for her main concern.

"I'm going to need someone I know I can trust who can guarantee success for this mission…but who?" Liara began to pace in her office but as she perked her head up, she saw that she had all five of the Shadow Infiltrators pulled up on screen. The first person her eyes set upon was the auburn haired human. "Shepard…"

xxx xxx xxx

The next day had finally come and Shepard managed to awaken from her slumber. Finding herself on the couch, laying on her stomach, she rubbed her eyes and struggled to her feet. On the coffee table she saw that she had picked whiskey the night before. Picking it up, she walked over to the kitchen, placing her empty glass in the sink and the handle back in the pantry.

"I swear I need to just. Stop drinking." The human blinked her eyes a few times and heard a distant beeping noise coming from her room.

Seeing that it was from her computer console, she flipped it on and began reading a couple of unread messages.

"I must of have been sleeping when this came through." Shepard began reading the contents of the first message. "Or too busy drinking."

_TO: Shepard_

_FRM: Nyxeris_

_MESSAGE:_

_I was told to forward your funds to your account instead of seeing me. The Shadowbroker sends his regards._

_[Amount Transferred to Account #xxxxxxxxx071: 20,000 C]_

_-N_

"Well that's nice of her. Saves me a trip." Shepard closed out the message and began reading the next one.

_TO: Shepard_

_FRM: SB_

_MESSAGE:_

_Shepard I need you to go to the Eternity Lounge on Illium._

_-SB_

Looking up at her ceiling as if talking to an all-powerful being, Shepard raised her arms and began to spout in an obnoxious manner. "Oh sweet merciful being in the sky, is it too much to ask for a day off?" After a period of silence, Shepard sighed. "No? Fine. I get it."

Getting up from her chair, Shepard threw on some jeans and changed her shirt, putting on a hoodie-vest over it as she walked out of her apartment. "This is gonna blow."

xxx xxx xxx

After a few hours of getting off and on shuttles and skycabs, Shepard had finally arrived to Illium. Taking her sweet time, the agent slipped her hands into her vest's pockets, casually strolling through the market terminals on Illium's trading deck. On occasion, her wandering eyes would follow an Asari who would exchange the same curious glance of want. However, being 'technically on duty' discouraged her hunger for the 'hunt'. And of course, even though in denial, she had her eye on a different, impossible prize.

"Liara?" Shepard whispered under her breath as she arrived at the entrance of the Eternity Lounge. Seeing Liara through the crowd of 'suits', Shepard made her way through until she was within earshot of the Asari.

"Shepard, I'm glad you came. Please sit." Liara sat at the table that was next to her, urging the human to hurry.

"Hey I kinda just got up and you didn't exactly give me a break from the last mission. I swear I think you should hire-" Shepard kept on nagging until Liara finally silenced her with a pointer to the finger.

"Please can you just…focus?" Something was different about the Shadowbroker that Shepard couldn't help but notice. From staring into Liara's eyes, the human could see a hint of pain and worry.

"Uh..sorry. What do you need me to do?" Shepard leaned back on her seat and crossed her arms, shaking her head at an approaching waitress.

"At Bekenstein, while you were taking care of that thief, I decided to do my part on the job and began mingling with the guests at the party." Liara clasped her hands together.

"In the midst of all that, Hock started a little speech about the importance of criminality in society, and then afterwards he confirmed my earlier suspicion." The Asari bit her lip.

"And that was?" Shepard arched a brow at Liara.

"Remember how I said there are people out there that want me either gone or in their custody?" Liara's eyes traveled away from Shepard's, and stared down at her clenched hands.

"Uh huuh.." Even though Shepard appeared to be taking the matter lightly, an unexpected worry befell the human. Liara had never shown signs of need unlike now and it struck Shepard more than she thought. Also, her earlier worries about Liara's connection to the Alliance lingered in the back of her mind.

"I won't lie to you Shepard. I can't afford to now. Too much is at stake." Shaking her head, the Shadowbroker regained her focus. "I am caught in a middle of a war that I mistakenly got myself and this whole organization into."

"And the Alliance is involved in this war?" Shepard answered.

"Yes, how did you know?" Liara straightened up in her seat as she was caught off guard.

"The thief Bekenstein, her name was Kasumi Goto. In the middle of our exchange I was able to find out that she was sent by the Alliance to steal the datapad." Shepard watched Liara carefully for any sort of reaction.

"I see." Liara's answer didn't satisfy Shepard and it was apparent on the human's face. "Shepard, I know about your past with the Alliance and what had happened on Akuze, but-"

"I didn't come here to talk about that." Shepard quickly interrupted. "What made the Alliance want to target you?"

"I'm just trying to say that I did not do anything to purposefully be listed as the Alliance's enemy. Because of their situation with Cerberus, things gradually became complicated." Liara closed her eyes as she rubbed her forehead.

"Cerberus? The pro-human group?" Shepard was now really confused. "Why? What's going on?"

"Please, there's not enough time for us to talk about that. Just know, there is something I need taken care of that takes priority over everything else." Liara knew that her answer wasn't going to please Shepard.

Shepard remained silent as she gave her usual stare, waiting for Liara to continue. "I need you to find this man." The Asari slid a datapad across the table.

"Who is he?" Shepard eyed the datapad, staring at the individual's mug shot.

"His name is Zaheed Massani. I need you to find him and get him to tell you locations of Cerberus stations within Terminus Space." Liara watched as Shepard began analyzing the datapad.

"Is he a Cerberus agent or something?" The human continued scrolling through the datapad, skimming through its contents.

"No, he's a mercenary who has done some work with them in the past. Mainly muscle work." Liara was handed back the datapad.

"And what's so important about these stations?" Shepard leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.

"One of them has my mother on board as a prisoner." Liara's voice grew distant as she finally spoke the truth.

"Your mother? A prisoner?" Shepard was at a loss for words as she ran her hand through her hair. "If I may know, why is she a prisoner?"

"Cerberus is blackmailing me, Shepard. If I were to act against them in any way they will kill her. The Alliance has been pestering and harassing me to provide them the necessary information to lead them to Cerberus' choke points, but if I do she will pay the price. I had the chance to stay out of their battle, but I blew it. I got reckless." Liara's hands turned into fists as she began to tense up.

"Now you see why I need your help?" Liara's eyes widened as she felt overcome by guilt and grief. "I have the other infiltrators on jobs to help relieve the pressure, but you're the only one I feel I can trust to handle this sensitive assignment."

Shepard took a deep breath in and sighed heavily, staring down at the table as she began tapping her fingertips on its surface. "Consider it done."

As much as she knew the job was dangerous and the fact she really didn't want to do it, Shepard's own subconscious betrayed her. In her mind, she screamed to herself that she was walking into a grave, but she acknowledged that it was her job to comply. Moreover, her heart felt a new sense of diligence and motivation. It wanted to help Liara. Shepard wanted to help Liara. It was no longer a job to the human, and it was barely about the money. There was something beginning to grow within the depths of Shepard's being. "I will find your mother."

"Thank you, Shepard." Liara gently brushed her fingertips over Shepard's, who slightly twitched from the unexpected contact. "And Shepard…"

Shepard glanced up and stared into the Asari's deep, blue eyes.

"If you do this for me, I will tell you the truth about what happened on Akuze."


	6. Chapter 6 - The Equal Exchange

**A/N: **Alright so this took some careful planning I hope I executed it correctly haha. We're slowly diving into back story of this AU so I hope you will be enjoying what I have in store for you. I ended up creating two chapters since there was too much information flowing around so yep! You'll be having a double dose for this week! :)

I want to thank Theodur for actually flickering this idea in my mind and I greatly appreciate it :)  
I also want to thank all of you for your continued support and interest in this story, and I'm excited that most of you like my twisted versions of Mass Effect's lore/storylines. There will be more to come so please stay in tuned. Especially for these next upcoming chapters!

Oh and I'd like to make a note that I interpreted the 'Embracing Eternity' concept in my way. Some people may disagree with it but it is how I understand it. :) I hope I don't get under people's skin about that tiny detail though. If you don't catch what I'm talking about in Chapter 7 then it's fine, but if you do there you go!

And I will admit, writing chapter 7 took the longest time for me to 'perfect'. I won't lie,it was hard for me to write like literally haha. So any questions, comments, suggestions, please leave them with me in the reviews! Thank you!

Okay so enough babble-talk from me. Enjoy Chapter 6 and 7! :)

All Mass Effect characters and galaxy lore belong to BioWare!

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**Chapter 6: The Equal Exchange**

"The truth about Akuze? Liara, I'm sorry but there isn't much truth behind Akuze other than the massacre that took place there, and for some ungodly reason I survived." Shepard's eyes trailed away from Liara's as they stared blankly at the table. "There's nothing more to it."

"More than you think, Shepard." Liara kept her doe shaped eyes on Shepard, her heart feeling heavy.

"Even so, I put that behind me. I left the Alliance because I couldn't deal with that shit haunting me every second of my aching life." Shepard returned Liara's gaze with hurtful eyes, the tender subject making the ex-marine weak. "I can still hear the screams. The thresher maws. Everything. Blood all over me and everywhere else around me."

"Shepard-" Liara began to speak before being shushed by the rattled human.

"No, just stop." Shepard stood up from her seat, tugging on her vest-hoodie. "If anything what I really want to know is…" She stopped her train of thought unsure whether or not she wanted to hear Liara's answer.

"What Shepard?" Liara looked up at the infiltrator with curiosity.

"Why is it that you trust me so much?" Shepard's voice was quiet, shaken by the weight of the question. She had noticed that Liara had an abnormal amount of trust in her and had a haunting feeling that there was more than what the Asari had let on.

Liara was brought back by the question and hadn't realized her façade was ruined by her inner subconscious every moment she interacted with Shepard. The Asari gulped as she and Shepard kept an intense stare into each other, hoping to see if there was really anything to hide or a way out.

Weakly, Liara replied under her breath. "I.." She broke her stare with Shepard as she gulped. "I don't know." The Asari kept blinking, hoping the feeling of Shepard staring at her would go away.

"You don't know? What kind of bullshit is that?" Shepard went closer to Liara's side of the table and leaned forward, practically slamming her palms against the surface, whispering very close to the Asari's cheek and ear. "What kind of Shadowbroker doesn't know the answer to a simple question?"

Liara hurriedly backed away and stood from her seat. Turning her back to the human, she shook her head. "Just go."

"That's it then? Just go?" Shepard gulped feeling mixed emotions of buried hurt and guilt.

"Do what I asked Shepard. If you want to know that answer, if it's that important to you, find the ship that has my mother imprisoned, and I will tell you." Liara crossed her arms and turned her head slightly to the side.

It didn't occur to Shepard earlier, but the answer she wanted did matter. For an unknown reason, she felt in her gut that she had to know. There was something Liara wasn't telling her, and she knew it had something to do with the political chaos that continued to tear the Asari apart. In the midst of her angered temper, Shepard felt a small part of her crumble in regret and sorrow. It began to frustrate the human even more that she couldn't understand what she was feeling. As much as she was lashing out at Liara, Shepard couldn't understand why even she was being pulled apart in two polar directions. She wanted to be angry with Liara, she felt justified in her thoughts, but something in her erupted that continued to cause conflict within herself. Not wanting to even think about it anymore she let out a grunting sigh.

"Fine." Shepard reluctantly replied, walking out of the Eternity Lounge.

xxx xxx xxx

Without a decent lead to find Zaheed Massani, Shepard turned to a source that may have a better idea where to look. Returning to Omega's sordid and dark streets, Shepard made her way to Afterlife. If anyone knew anything about Terminus Space, Aria T'loak would be the person to ask. Opening the seedy club's doors, Shepard could immediately feel her heart pumping with the music's bass.

As Shepard made her way through the club, she would run into the occasional drunken goons. Batarians who were close by would stare at her with their four, creeping eyes, and vorcha would screech at her like a pack of rabid hyenas. Of course there were some people that kept to their own, but since she was on Omega, there was always someone instigating a fight. Even while Shepard was heading towards Aria's V.I.P. lounge she could hear bickering and yelling across the bar that surpassed even the music.

"Hold up, where do you think you're going human?" A batarian in combat armor held out his hand as he kept his assault rifle ready to aim.

"I need to speak to Aria." Shepard said coolly. "I'm looking for someone and I think she has an idea where to find him."

"It's okay Anto, let her by." A female voice spoke.

"Don't try anything stupid. I'll be watching you." The batarian's four eyes all blinked in a sporadic order as he watched Shepard walk up the stairs.

"That's close enough Shepard." Aria T'loak, stood from her couch as she approached the human in a slow, intimidating manner. "What can I do for the ex-marine?"

"Ex-marine…?" Shepard narrowed her brows as she felt a little shock from Aria overstepping boundaries.

"It was all over the Extranet, Shepard. Akuze was at least, and the human who managed to be the sole survivor. Isn't that your nickname back on Earth or something? 'The Sole Survivor'?" Aria made air quotes as she kept her keen eye on Shepard, knowing she was starting to push some buttons.

"Look I'm not here for storytelling. I came here to ask if you knew about a Zaheed Massani." Shepard crossed her arms as she shifted her weight to one leg.

"Ah, the bounty hunter-mercenary? Yeah, I know about him. Why?" Aria sat back down on her lounger and crossed her legs, extended her arms out to rest them against the seat.

"He has information for me, and I need to have it." Shepard squinted her eyes as she gradually grew annoyed. "Just tell me where he is and I'll be out of here. I really don't have all day."

"Watch your mouth human!" Anto pointed his assault rifle at Shepard, just inches within her face.

"Settle down Anto. This human means business. I can see it, written all over your face." Aria brought her hands together and interlocked their fingers. "Tell you what Shepard, because I owe the Shadowbroker a favor for taking out that human pig, I will tell you what you want to know. Oh and don't be shocked if I know you're an agent. Omega carries my eyes and ears, nothing goes passed me.

"Okay." Shepard shrugged. "So tell me, where can I find Zaheed Massani?"

"He was last seen around the apartments here in Omega. I believe he's trying to find some poor fool for a client." Aria curled her lips into a devilish smile. "I'm sure if you hurry, you'll find him before he leaves the area a bloody mess."

Shepard didn't respond as she immediately turned around, hitting her shoulder against the Batarian without any remorse. Before Anto could react, Aria shook her head and told him to let the human go. Shepard didn't give a fuck if she had to pay for the act of disrespect, but she had only one thing in her mind. Her goal was to find Zaheed.

xxx xxx xxx

Arriving to the apartments' district in Omega, Shepard slowly began to make her way down the dark, red-lit corridor. Passing some poor souls who sat on the ground, hungry and poor, Shepard kept her eye out for the bounty hunter. Hearing a little commotion just around the corner, Shepard began walking a bit faster, the sounds turning into distinct fist bashing and screams.

"Your boss prefers you alive, but he told me if I had to, I could rough you up a bit to teach a thing or two about obedience." The tall, middle aged man stomped his foot against the Batarian victim on the floor.

"Zaheed Massani?" Recognizing him from Liara's datapad, Shepard approached the two on guard.

"Who wants to know?" When the man turned around Shepard saw the scar over Zaheed's right eye, confirming it was definitely him.

"Let's just say the Shadowbroker sends his regards." Shepard balled her hands into fists as she prepared herself for a little mishap.

"You don't say? Well…" Zaheed knelt over his Batarian prisoner and clocked him right on the temple, knocking the four-eyed alien out cold. "What could the Shadowbroker want from the likes of me?"

"I was informed that you had past relations with Cerberus." Shepard kept a careful eye on Zaheed in case he tried anything. She knew the mercenary was armed. "And I was told you might have something on several space stations that are at least around here in Terminus Space."

"Ahahaha." Zaheed began to laugh as rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I don't know anything about Cerberus stations. I was told I had to bring an Asari matriarch to one, but that's about it."

Shepard's head perked up as she heard 'Asari matriarch'. '_I guess Liara didn't know that he was actually responsible for taking her mother in.'_ She began to walk up closer to the mercenary. "Which station, Massani?"

"You know information like that doesn't come for free. Besides I don't think my boss will be happy that I told a Broker agent the whereabouts of one of their prisoners." Zaheed rolled his shoulders as he balled his hands into fists.

Practically snarling at Zaheed, Shepard glared as she raised her voice. "Do you really want to risk getting the shit beat out of you for a little slice of information, for people you probably don't care for? I have no beef with you Zaheed. I just want that ship's located. You'll get outta here and live your so called life in this hell hole and I'll be on my way. And you can take that bastard in for whatever he's good for." Shepard sneered as leaned forward intimidatingly, every fiber in her muscles tightened and ready for a fight.

"You really think a bark like that is gonna convince me to do anything for the likes of you?" Zaheed laughed at Shepard's aggressive approach. "Heh, don't get me wrong. You've got guts." The mercenary turned his back on Shepard, his attention switching to the Batarian.

Shepard clenched her fist and grabbed Zaheed by his shoulder, shoving him into the corridor's wall, her forearm pressed against the man's throat. "You really want to test me?"

Zaheed simply sneered at Shepard as he shoved the nozzle of his pistol up Shepard's ribcage. "You know what, I actually do."

Knowing she was in a losing fight, Shepard released the bounty hunter, practically shoving him away. Looking at Zaheed, she saw that he had his pistol aiming at her, now on guard in case she attempted another reckless move. "What do you want for that info Zaheed?"

"Now that's more like it. I'm glad you understand that information like that does not come free. Especially with consequences involving my employer getting pissed off at me." Zaheed concealed his pistol.

"So what is it that you want? Credits?" Shepard shrugged as she threw an answer out in the air.

"There's no way you could pay me the same amount as Cerberus did." Zaheed crossed his arms. "However…"

"What?" Shepard was in no mood to stand around and barter with a mercenary. If she had any other lead, she would have killed Zaheed herself and be on her way.

"You work for the Shadowbroker correct?" Zaheed scratched his jaw as he waited for Shepard's answer.

"Yes, I do." Shepard understood Zaheed's aim in this exchange. Information for information. "I'm assuming information is what you'll accept?"

"Good to see you caught on." Zaheed walked up the Shepard, just a few feet in front of her. "I took the job from Cerberus so I could get the credits I needed to barter with the Shadowbroker himself, but seeing that you need information from me, I figured we'd have an equal exchange. I say it's a win win. I keep my credits, I get what I want, and you get what you want. See?"

"I get it. So what do you wanna know?" Shepard sighed.

"I need to find a man by the name of Vido Santiago. If you have anything on him, preferably a last known location, I will tell you where that Asari Matriarch is. Oh and just to clear the air, she's the only Asari Matriarch they apparently have in their custody. I had the sacks to pry about it, so they told me. Now, do we have a deal?" Zaheed reached out his hand, palm up expecting a handshake.

Sighing that Shepard came up empty handed, she reluctantly shook the mercenary's hand. "Deal."

"I'm glad you saw reason." After a firm handshake, Zaheed returned his attention to the beaten Batarian. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna turn this sucker in before he starts to stink."

Letting Zaheed pass, Shepard watched as the bounty hunter took hold of the Batarian and began to practically drag him off. "Oh and when you are ready for the exchange, you can find me here on Omega. I'm usually at Afterlife's VIP Lounge so let the bouncer know that Jaruut sent you."


	7. Chapter 7 - Embrace Eternity

**A/N**: Probably my shortest chapter, but it was supposed to actually be crammed into Chapter 6 but that would have destroyed the 'artistic integrity' behind my AU. Too soon? Probably.

Anyways lol, all Mass Effect characters and galaxy lore belong to BioWare!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Embrace Eternity**

As soon as she could, Shepard boarded the next transfer frigate off of Omega to the Citadel. While on board, she opened up her omnitool and sent a message to Liara, letting her know that she was unsuccessful at retrieving the information but informed her about the deal she made with Zaheed. Closing it off, she spent the next several hours thinking about what Liara was going to tell her, if she was going to tell her. To Shepard's knowledge, the mission was technically a success. Either way, a part of Shepard wanted to know what Liara meant by the 'truth' about Akuze. It made Shepard dive deeper in to her thoughts and images of thresher maws, dead marines, and blood clouded her mind. Pressing her palms against her temples, she felt a small pain drilling into the crown of her head. She remembered blacking out but could also remember the thick smell of blood and shrieks of fear and death. Subconsciously, Shepard placed her hands over her torso, acknowledging the number of scars she received from that massacre. As the frigate got closer and closer to reaching the Citadel, Shepard's anxiety continued to grow. What more could there be behind Akuze? Importantly, Shepard wanted to know what it was about her that made Liara want to trust her so easily.

Finally arriving back to the Citadel, Shepard got herself a skycab and made it back home to her apartment in the wards. Little did she know, she had a visitor who had been anticipating her return. Turning on the lights, she saw the Asari standing across the room, looking out her window.

"I didn't expect you to come by." Shepard said nonchalantly as she slipped off her hoodie-vest. "After all my mission wasn't quite the success."

"You did what you could. Information on Vido Santiago will not be hard to find." Liara faced Shepard as the human took a few steps into her living room. "Though it may take some before I hear anything back, so…"

"Does that bother you?" Shepard slipped her hands into her pockets as she leaned against a wall.

"No, not really. You did what you had to, and we can't change that now. I have been very careful to not upset Cerberus, so I doubt they'll do anything to harm my mother." Liara did her best to sell her optimistic act, but Shepard knew better.

"We'll get her Liara. Don't worry about that." Shepard looked down at the floor.

"I know, I trust you Shepard." Liara turned away from Shepard as she kept her arms around herself.

"So are you going to tell me why you do, Liara?" Shepard recalled her and the Asari's deal after negotiating with Zaheed. Liara didn't forget either.

"Yes, as I promised. However, it has a lot to do with what had happened on Akuze, Shepard." Liara gulped. "I know how much of a toll it took on you, but I assure you it'll explain everything."

"Fine, go ahead." Shepard took a seat on her couch, Liara following behind her to take a seat next to her. Her anxiety began to come back as she anticipated what was to come. '_Fuck this, why am I so afraid?'_

"First, I need to ask you. Can you remember anything prior to you leaving for Akuze?" Liara blinked her eyes as she kept her gaze at Shepard.

"Well, I mean I know that I worked for the Alliance for a while, lived here on the Citadel, but if you want details they're all just fuzzy." Shepard was partially confused on where Liara was going with this, but she allowed the Asari to continue.

"Have you encountered moments when you felt unsure about yourself. Something that felt out of place but still familiar?" Liara's words hit the nail on the head, which made Shepard start to feel uncomfortable.

"At times." Shepard felt her hands start to shake, making the human's brows narrow. She didn't understand why she felt so anxious. '_What's going on with me? Why am I fighting myself? Why do I feel misplaced?'_

"Shepard, because of what had happened on Akuze, a majority of your memory has been wiped out." Liara paused. "Those thoughts and feelings that might have been lingering in your mind are just you recalling a bit of what was lost. The doctors couldn't say whether or not you would be able to remember anything."

"My memory was wiped? There's no way, I remember everything from what had happened on Akuze, and my life before then." Shepard felt an odd twinge in her chest. "What does my past have to do with you trusting me so damn much?" Another sinking feeling overcame Shepard's inner self. _'God damn it why do I feel so fucking shity?!'_

"If you remember so much then why can't you remember me?!" Liara stopped, gasping as she didn't realize the rise in her voice. The Asari was fighting back tears. Standing up from the couch, Liara walked quickly to the window, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to console her aching heart. "Why can't you remember me?" Liara's words came out weakly.

"Remember you?" Shepard finally understood, her breath escaping her. Recalling back the events on Bekenstein and her early developing feelings about Liara, they all made sense. Every attraction she had about the Asari, she had felt them before. She found it strange that she felt so strongly about her and to top it all off, she recognized those feelings. The part of her that remembered Liara couldn't reason with her mind. It was impossible to explain, but Shepard finally understood her hunger for Liara. She only wanted her because she was already hers. "We were..."

"I made the mistake of letting my feelings get the better of me. Seeing you again, I couldn't just let you go. The way you looked at me on Bekenstein, I had a glimmer of hope you finally remembered…" Liara couldn't finish her words as she choked from her tears. "I thought I was being careful. I wanted to wait until this whole ordeal with the Alliance and Cerberus was over, but…I needed your help." Tears began streaming down Liara's purple-flushed cheeks.

Shepard leaned forward, her hair falling in front of her face as she stared blankly at the ground. "You could have told me sooner." She gulped. "If it's any consolation, I did start to remember small details. For the short time we've known each other I…recollected feelings I didn't recognized when I thought about you."

Liara sighed as she continued to cry. Shepard stood up from the couch and cautiously approached the Asari. She had no more words to say that could possibly console Liara, but there was one thing she knew she could do that she herself had been craving for. Extending out a hand, she placed it over Liara's shoulder, gently pulling on her to turn around. Without thinking twice, Liara spun and clung onto Shepard, her tears soaking the human's chest. Shepard's heart began to race as her old, buried feelings began to return. She didn't realize how much love she had for the Asari and it occurred to her how much Liara suffered throughout the time she was away from her.

"How long has it been, Liara?" Shepard spoke quietly, her voice shaking.

"Two years, Shepard." Tightening her hold around the human's waist, Liara rubbed her cheek against Shepard's heart, hearing its rapid pace.

"I need you to do something for me then." Shepard pulled apart from Liara's embrace, looking down and into her eyes.

"What is it, Shepard?" Liara kept her hands on Shepard's chest.

"I need to know what really happened on Akuze." Shepard's jaw tightened.

"I can actually show you, but please keep in mind; you might not like what you see." Liara's voice shook as she remembered what she saw during her meld with Shepard when she was in a coma. "When you returned from Akuze, the doctors didn't tell me what happened. And your commanding officers felt too uncomfortable to tell me. So I took it upon myself during my final visit, to meld with you."

"You only wanted to know the truth." Shepard looked away from Liara as she placed her hands atop hers.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you anything. I didn't want you to go through that same pain and see what really happened on Akuze, so I was willing to sacrifice what we had to protect you." Liara slid her hand to Shepard's jaw, gently cradling it.

"I want to remember everything, Liara." Shepard gulped as she turned her lips to the Asari's palm. "I need to."

Sighing, Liara slowly lifted up her hands, tracing over Shepard's features as she finally rested them on her temples. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Shepard."

"You did what you thought was right, but I can't live conflicted like this forever." Shepard slid her hands down to Liara's waist, gently resting them there as she watched the Asari's eyes turn obsidian.

"Relax, Shepard. And Embrace Eternity."


	8. Chapter 8 - The Sole Survivor

**A/N:** Thank you again for your support everyone, and I'm excited to know that you all enjoyed my last two chapters. It was quite the challenge for me to write it, and I'm glad I didn't butcher anything entirely. Now for this chapter, I decided it would be fun to write about one of the game's choices for Shepard's background, and just to clarify that I had the right loophole to do this, I made sure to read that 'it was unsure how Shepard was able to survive Akuze' so here is my version of how she did and I hope you all enjoy it.

Again thank you all so much for your continued support and interest in my story. This one may be a little hazy for me since I kinda got deep into what was going on so pardon if there is slight confusion. *Bites tongue* Melds always have to be that complex thing you know? Anyhow no more babble-talk.

Please leave your comments and thoughts with me :) I love reading them and anything that could make this story unfold even more, shout out some ideas and I'll see what I can do!

All Mass effect characters and galaxy lore belong to BioWare!

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**Chapter 8: The Sole Survivor**

"Relax, Shepard. And Embrace Eternity." Liara's voice withered away as darkness slowly enveloped Shepard.

Within seconds of being joined by their consciousness, Shepard could sense every feeling surging through her and Liara's body. She could feel her touch grazing Liara's waist as she could feel her own skin through Liara's fingertips. Every fiber in her being was joined with the Asari, exploring and experiencing every essence that made them who they were. Shepard could feel the soft, innocence that was Liara, soothing her like cold water over a burn. For a moment it felt blissful, images began to fan out episodes of past experiences that only lingered in Shepard's subconscious.

'_Shepard.'_

Shepard could hear Liara's voice through her mind, the vibrations of her voice reverberating in the abyss of the meld.

'_Shepard, take a deep breath.'_

Shepard knew that Liara began peeling away the layers of defenses. Shepard's anxieties, fears, insecurities, and regret were being slowly wiped away by Liara's soothing presence. Slowly but surely Shepard was finally exposed.

'_Try to remember Shepard…'_

Liara's voice guided Shepard through the confines of her mind. In the physical state, Shepard's eyes were closed, focusing as Liara instructed her. Her breathing was steady, and she could hear the thundering beat of her heart within her ears. Eventually, Shepard's body gradually tuned with Liara's, both of them finally in complete sync.

'_Shepard…." _Liara's voice finally turned into a whisper in the wind as images from their past finally unfolded.

xxx xxx xxx

"_Liara, you know I have to go." Shepard held Liara's hands tightly in hers, the texture of her blue skin rubbing against her calloused palms. "I don't have a choice."_

"_You've always had a choice, Shepard. Why can't they get someone else?" Liara's voice whimpered as she looked down at her human lover in her N7 armor. "It's not fair."_

"_Nothing is, but if I don't go, no one else will. We need to find out what happened to the last squad patrol on Akuze." Shepard kissed Liara's knuckles very slowly and gently, the soft yet rough texture of her skin grazing over the marine's pink lips._

"_I need you to be strong for me while I'm out there Liara. Knowing that I'm going to come back home to your smile is my motivation." Tilting Liara's chin up, Shepard lightly pinched with her forefinger and thumb, giving the Asari a small peck on her lips. "Everything will be okay. I promise…"_

xxx xxx xxx

The images of Shepard's goodbye with Liara dissipated, the warmth of that touching moment disappearing into the darkness of their thoughts. Shepard could feel Liara's consolation through the meld, the regret and guilt of not choosing to stay behind clouding the human's mind. Liara understood that Shepard had to leave and her worry was natural. She understood Shepard had a job to do and it was wrong to let her selfishness get a hold of her. Through the gentle gestures of touch across Shepard's cheek, Liara sent signals that soothed the human's anxious heart.

Images soon began to appear and this time Shepard was finally able to see what had happened that day when she arrived on Akuze.

xxx xxx xxx

"_Commander!" Radio chatter had been scratchy since Shepard and her unit dropped on Akuze._

"_Something doesn't feel right…" _

Shepard began experience the same fear as if she was on Akuze again. Liara reached out once more, letting the human know that she wasn't alone.

"_Check those buildings over there. The patrol group must be around here." As much as Shepard was confidently shooting out orders left and right, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that there was something going on._

"_Where are those scientists? Weren't they stationed here to begin with?" A marine not too far away from Shepard was just as afraid and rattled. _

"_Just keep your heads straight, and spread out into groups of five." Shepard, with her index and middle finger, pointed in several directions, issuing perimeter checks within reasonable distance of their rendezvous point. "Report in if you find anything. Move out."_

_Shepard's whole unit was comprised of fifty people, men and women of all disciplines. Being split up into five, Shepard was able to have the vicinity checked and cleared by her unit within the first hour and a half they arrived. Nothing again had struck the unit that seemed out of the ordinary, but what everyone had noticed was that all the buildings were empty. What stuck out, especially to Shepard, was that many of the containers, shelves, and desks were viciously abused in an erratic and unorganized fashion. It wasn't hard to guess, but it was as if the people were trying to run away from this place. Or even worse, something could have been here to attack them._

_Upon arriving to the camp, the first thing Shepard saw to was the distress signal that first sprung up the mission. There wasn't anything particularly odd about the beacon, only that it was activated with no one around to retrieve her and her unit. With further investigation, she later discovered that a majority of the camp ground were covered in what appeared to be disabled land mines._

"_Land mines?" Shepard knelt down and picked one up, the dusty scrap of metal looking a bit worn, but still functional. "Are they disabled?"_

"_Ma'am, we found more of them all over camp. I'd say the whole entire camp is loaded with these mines." The marine squeezed the handle of his rifle as he waited for Shepard's next order._

"_They don't even look like they're trying to hide these things. What the fuck is going on here?" Shepard was still to herself, unaware that she was still in the company of the marine. _

"_Make sure that the others-" _

_Before Shepard could speak, there was a loud scream that echoed through their radio. In a matter of seconds, radio chatter escalated uncontrollably. _

"_What the fuck is going on?! Lieutenant give me a report!" Shepard's heart pumped harder than she could ever imagine, the blood rushing through her veins as she had to hurry to save her unit from whatever it was. "Lieutenant Alenko!" _

"_I don't know Commander! I'm getting several sightings about thresher maws!" The lieutenant's voice came in statically through the radio, but Shepard was able to make out the fact her unit was slowly being devoured and without her, everyone's life was on the verge of being eliminated. _

_In almost an immediate state of panic, Shepard readied her rifle and sprinted back towards camp. To herself, she couldn't shake the absurd thought that thresher maws were in the area. "How the fuck are there thresher maws here?! C'mon marine!" The marine who was with her sprinted close to Shepard's heels, just as worried as afraid._

xxx xxx xxx

Shepard could feel the adrenaline rush she experienced that very day. She expected that she was going to meet up with the thresher maws that continued devouring her squad, but something unexpected came into view. To Shepard's surprise, there were no thresher maws at the camp, and finally the truth became clear to her. In front of her, she saw every man and woman on her unit, slowly killing each other in ways that could traumatize the human race. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she continued to watch the grotesque images flash into her visions. Her deep rooted memories becoming clear that thresher maws did not attack them that day. Liara could feel Shepard shake in the physical realm of their meld, the anxiety and fear of the truth being pulled violently from the depths of her mind. As much as she could, Liara tried to maintain her presence with Shepard. It was hard for her to watch the events take place again for the second time, but she had to be strong for her.

Shepard watched painfully as she witnessed the death occurring within the camp. She could hear herself screaming that she sees the thresher maws and tried to maintain order on concentrating fire on a single target. However, realistically, she was made the calls to annihilate every single one of the marines under her command. The meld began feeling unstable as Shepard couldn't bear to watch it.

'_Shepard..?' _Liara called out to Shepard within the meld.

'_No, I need to…' _Shepard struggled to speak back to Liara. _'I have to know what happened.'_

Shepard watched herself unsheathe her omniblade, walking up to the marine who was following her and, with an upward swing to her right, she cut open a clean slit into the man's throat. What came after was she began spraying the soldier's limp body with incendiary bullets as it slowly flew a few feet away from her. Shepard felt a cold chill as she saw herself covered in the marine's blood, a cold stare from her blue eyes with a snarl as vicious as a rabid varren. She continued to watch as she saw herself throwing the assault rifle to the side, letting it slide across the rocky terrain of the planet's surface.

'_You didn't know Shepard, you saw what those soldiers saw, You thought you were being attacked by thresher maws.' _Liara tried her best to keep Shepard on a level head as she watched more of the massacres occur.

Unsheathing her ombiblade, Shepard pulled out her N7 Valiant, extending out the gun in its true sniper form. Still screaming out orders to the marines to suppress the so called thresher maws in the camp, Shepard took aim and fired several shots. Seeing that each bullet was actually piercing through skulls of her marines, Shepard felt a knot form up in her throat, tears beginning to stream from her eyes. Left and right the marines under her command fought each other, yelling and screaming as they killed each other off with their arsenals.

Within due time, the death around her started to subside. She watched as she saw herself slowly walking through the camp. At this time, her body was limp and soaked in blood. It was too the point she couldn't tell whether it was hers or someone else's, but she could only feel the pain numbing her body. She withstood the flurry of attacks that came at her, but it was an unfortunate realization that they were not from thresher maws. As she continued on her way through the camp, she heard something breathing behind her. Turning around in a rapid spin, with her rifle propped and aimed, she saw that the person standing in front of her was her lieutenant, Kaidan Alenko.

'_No..please God. No.' _Shepard muttered through the meld as she knew what had happened next.

Hearing a single shot fire, she could see the Valiant's bullet stream cleanly through Kaidan's forehead and out the back of his crown. The lieutenant had no strength to even defend himself from the shot, but either way he wouldn't have been able to escape Shepard's deadly accuracy. As the lieutenant's knees hit the rocky ground, Shepard strapped her rifle onto her back and pulled out a Carnifex pistol. Approaching the already dead lieutenant, she still fired a full clip into the carcass, making it finally fall back onto the ground. Until her pistol let out clicks of an empty clip, Shepard dropped the pistol and took a step back.

Unable to watch anymore, Shepard finally broke the meld, her head shaking as she shot away from Liara's grasp. Letting out a shriek of fear, Shepard found herself pushed back onto her couch, grabbing her temples and tears spilled uncontrollably through her eyes.

"I killed them all, I-I- They all were killed by me! I killed them all, why did I do it?! Why didn't I- how were there thresher maws when there weren't really any thresher maws there?! What happened to me?! What happened to my unit?!" Shepard was incoherent as she tried to make the images go away.

"Why couldn't you just tell me?! Why did I not see them?! I thought there were-am I crazy?!" Shepard choked from the saliva that clogged up in her throat. Her voice turning into sad whimpers as it heightened in a frightened pitch. "Liara..am I crazy?"

Liara quickly returned to Shepard's side as she pulled the traumatized marine into her arms. She felt Shepard's body shake as she continued to weep. She knew Shepard had broken down into pieces after watching the massacre that happened on Akuze, but she had to see it. There wasn't a good way to explain the events in words without Shepard disbelieving her.

"No, Shepard you aren't crazy!" Liara squeezed as tight as she could. "You didn't know what was going on!"

"Then what the hell happened to me Liara?! Why the fuck did that happen to my unit?!" Shepard screamed at the top of her lungs, her throat blazing in fire as it grew raspy. "This whole fucking time I thought my unit was killed by thresher maws, and now the only reason that I managed to survive was because I was able to kill them off! I killed a friend on Akuze! I killed Kaidan! I did Liara!" Shepard had pulled herself away from Liara as she leant forward, her face buried in her hands as she dug her nails into her hair, squeezing tightly as she could feel it being pulled from her roots.

"Shepard, please-" Liara extended out a hand but was painfully smacked away.

"No! Just-" Shepard couldn't speak, her voice was still burning in pain through her tears and her mind was twisted. "Just get the fuck out!" Shepard grabbed a glass that was sitting on her end table nearby and flung it across the room, barely missing Liara as it smashed against the wall. "Just go!"

Liara bit her lip as she tightened her eyes closed. Standing up from the couch, she quickly ran out of Shepard's apartment, leaving Shepard alone in the darkness of her living room. With the door sliding shut, she could hear the poor marine's weeping and screams of painful guilt and regret. Leaning against the door, Liara slid down, falling to the ground as she cupped her eyes with her palms, crying quietly as she knew there was little she could now do to console her old lover.

Realizing too late what she had done, Shepard cradled herself in her arms. She could still feel the guilt coursing through her thoughts, the haunting feeling of her unit's ghosts now engulfing her in their grief. More than ever, she needed someone to be with her, but due to the sin of her pride, she shoved away the only person she knew that could dig her out of her own hell.

Liara was gone and there was nothing Shepard could do.


	9. Chapter 9 - Digging for the Truth

**A/N: **This chapter was inspired from material from two shows, Sherlock and Alphas so if you're familiar with them, you'll see what I did. Yeah I'm a nerd, haha. Anyways, we're getting down into the backstory of this AU now, so whoohoo! At least with one of the characters. Can you guess? Probably.

I must add that this chapter was a challenge for me to write, but for some reason I kinda just went flying through it like it was cake anyways? I hope I didn't kill it *hides face behind keyboard*

But before reading, I want to give my thanks to all of you who are enjoying the material of the AU, and who leave me their thoughts and comments. Seriously it helps me a lot in both motivation and what things to write about next. Although, I already have the set plot, the details are always important :) So ask those questions, tell me what you want to see more, and your assumptions about the next chapter! (I don't know if it's obvious but I like twists :P)

Oh and I know it's a subtle thing between Shepard and Liara right now, but let's give them some time. Love does blossom I promise :)

Babble-talk = over. Enjoy!

All characters and galaxy lore of Mass Effect belong to BioWaaareee

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**Chapter 9: Digging for the Truth**

Liara stayed on the Citadel hoping Shepard would come around soon. She spent most of her day strolling on the Presidium, eyeing her omnitool in case Shepard was to message her. However, to her disappointment, she was left with nothing.

It had been a couple days since she and Shepard had spoken. Liara knew she was pressed for time, and she had to get the information she had on Vito Santiago to Zaheed. Liara usually thought ahead when it came down to careful planning, but Shepard being involved always skewed her judgment. There were moments where she'd be hard on herself, saying she should have known better, but her aching heart couldn't last longer without the human in her life. A part of her regretted showing Shepard what had happened on Akuze, but it was the only way to help her understand what was going on within the depths of Citadel and even Terminus space. Cerberus was responsible for the events on Akuze, and Liara wanted revenge for it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a ringing noise coming from her omnitool. Liara crossed her placed a hand over her chest, her heart beating from being startled and from hoping that it was finally Shepard trying to get a hold of her. With a smile on the Asari's face, Liara opened up the message on her omnitool.

_TO: SB  
FRM: Shepard_

MESSAGE:

_Come back to the apartment. We need to talk._

_-Shepard_

With haste Liara made her way back to the wards. She had no preparation on what was to be expected when she walked through that door. On the way to Shepard's apartment, Liara would find herself stopping midway in order to try and think about what Shepard would want to talk about. She knew already that it would be about Akuze, but her selfish side worried more about their relationship. Liara wondered if Shepard was mad at her for lying all this time, for hiding away from her, for being reckless, or, in high hopes, she wondered if Shepard would love her more for the price she paid for saving her from the past. There was no right way to prepare herself when confronting Shepard, nor was there a right way to console the human's hardened soul. It was always a gamble that Liara always found herself in, but it was always something worth taking.

Before Liara could place a knock, the apartment door slid open, Shepard already standing on the other side. Liara's jaw dropped slightly from being startled, withdrawing her hand quickly down to her side as she clenched a tiny fist from being so nervous. Shepard titled her head to the side as she turned around, welcoming the Asari with silence. The door slid shut behind them, and Liara knew she was trapped. The silenced lingered longer as they ventured further into the apartment, and Liara couldn't help but notice that a storm had passed through the human's living room. She remembered Shepard's methods of venting and they could get violent, but not once had the human laid a finger on her. However, Liara knew it was mainly because Shepard would make sure she was dismissed before going on a hellish rage. Walking passed the flipped tables and thrown projectiles, Shepard led Liara to one of the vacant rooms that she had furnished into an office. There was a large desk in the center with a computer console, large bookcases hugging a majority of the walls, and seats in case she had guests. It looked like Shepard had prepared for Liara's visit and had a chair pulled out for her which was placed across her desk.

"Sit." Shepard slid the chair out further, hurrying Liara to finally take a seat.

Liara didn't say a word as she watched the human take a sip out of a glass, the dark liquid that subdued Shepard pouring between her lips.

"Shepard-" Liara began to speak, but interrupted as Shepard abruptly and loudly slammed her now empty glass on the table.

"No, Liara. Just let me-" Shepard wiped her lips as she tightly closed her eyes. "I need to know something, Liara."

"W-What is it Shepard?" Liara had her legs tightly crossed as her hands gripped tightly into the fabric of her attire.

"What happened next?" Shepard took a seat across from her, her hands folded on top of the desk. "After the…" Shepard's voice trailed off, but thankfully Liara knew what she was trying to say.

"The distress beacon you found on Akuze was never deactivated, so the Alliance decided on sending in a small investigation team after several hours of not hearing from you. I pushed for them to send me along with them, and they finally complied. They didn't trust I was well enough in my abilities as a biotic, but they finally came to reason. Also they understood that you and I were involved so…" Liara bit the inside of her cheek.

"And?" Shepard said coldly.

"And, when we arrived, we saw your unit. We were alarmed by the sight so we immediately armed ourselves and began investigating the premise. We didn't find much except for some mines that were evenly spread throughout the camps perimeter, which led to some abnormal findings when we finally returned you and the other marines back to Earth." Liara looked down at her hands as she felt herself shake.

"Was I awake?" Shepard's stare remained on the Asari as she clenched her teeth together, her jaw tightening.

"Yes." Liara closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "I was the one who found you."

"Liara…" Shepard knew Liara was holding back what she wanted to say.

"When the group decided to split up to cover even ground, I was the only one who noticed that the shuttle you arrived in was open. With a closer look, I saw bloodied footprints on the ramp and on the door panel. And…" Liara exhaled loudly. "…there you were. You sat in the very back of the shuttle, clenching tightly onto your rifle. I called for you, but you didn't respond. When I finally approached you, you-" Liara choked on her last few words.

"C'mon Liara, please." Shepard could feel her own heart racing as she noticed how nervous Liara was getting.

"You pointed the rifle at me, Shepard." Liara closed her eyes as she weakly whispered. "I didn't know what to do, what you were thinking. I tried reasoning with you, but you didn't even recognize who I was. All you kept screaming was that there were thresher maws. Before I could even do anything, the rest of the investigation team came up and finally recovered you."

Shepard remained silent as gulped, her chest rising and falling as she tried to pace her heightened heartbeat. "That was it?"

"When you arrived to the hospital on base, you slipped out of consciousness. We had you on bed rest, and waited for you to wake up, but…" Liara tightened her lips together. "..you didn't."

"And now here we are. I woke up, the doctors and my commanding officers hurdling around me like vultures. The first thing I asked was, what happened with those thresher maws on Akuze, and if my team made it out…" Shepard leaned her head forward into her hands, her face burrowed into her palms. "Now I know they lied to me saying that it had been taken care of, but at the price of the marines under my command. I guess they didn't want their most decorated officer to look like a lunatic." Shepard stood up and walked up the wall behind her desk, looking up at her awards and achievements throughout her service in the Alliance.

"Shepard..." Liara stood up, keeping her hands on the desk as she cautiously took a few steps forward.

"I left the Alliance after that Liara. I left with the guilt that I let my team down. I always believed that there was nothing that could stop me from serving, but of course I learned the hard way what exactly my breaking point was. And the bigger twist, it was me who put them in their graves." With a loud growl, Shepard tightened her hand into a fist and slammed it against her wall, the clatter of her awards shaking on her impact.

Liara was just a few steps behind Shepard as she reached for her. Barely grazing the material of the human's clothing against her fingertips, Liara managed to finally slip her arms around the human's waist, pulling on her tightly as she buried her face into Shepard's back. "It wasn't your fault Shepard. I made the mistake of letting you go out of sheer revenge. I found out who was responsible for Akuze, and I took it upon myself to fix it."

Shepard remained still as she felt Liara's arms envelop her in warmth. It was something the human hadn't felt in a long time, and she wanted more of that comfort. She felt her clenched fist lighten up as it felt onto Liara's hands. Shepard could feel her heart calming as she let down her guard for the Asari to take her away. Closing her eyes, she briefly recalled the moments in their past. She was happy that she uprooted her memories only to see Liara in that light again. However with the turn of events, it was hard to Shepard to focus on reestablishing what she and Liara had lost within those two years.

"So who was it?" Shepard finally said, her thumb lightly grazing over Liara's hands.

"Cerberus." Liara said, her arms withdrawing from Shepard's waist, making the human turn around. "It was Cerberus who plotted those events on Akuze."

"How did you figure that out?" Shepard asked, her light blue eyes staring into Liara's.

"Remember how I said those mines led us to some strange findings? Well it turned out that they weren't really land mines that you'd typically find exploding on impact. During their deconstruction we found several signs that they were used for other means, which were discovered when the doctors analyzed you and the other soldier's vitals." Liara began to pace.

"We found chemical imbalances in all of you, similar findings to those who have psychological problems such as schizophrenia. But the question that remained was how all of you went into such a blind rage and decided with destruction over your usual tactics. That piece of information I found on my own. I knew it wasn't like you to just go head first into a bloodbath, so I dug up some more findings." Shepard watched and listened as Liara continued pacing around the room, distracted by the Asari's gracefulness and knowledge when she spoke.

"Reanalyzing the doctor's findings I found more evidence on what had triggered the primal effect of fight in the 'fight or flight' effect, as you humans call it. Although it was hidden among the data, I was also able to pinpoint the idea that the chemical imbalance was due to the fact it had been forced into you, and the only logical explanation on how it could have happened on Akuze was by breathing the toxins in."

"And those landmines had them?" Shepard recalled from the meld that her unit found multiples of them around the camp, but saw no threat. "You think they were triggered by time?"

Liara nodded and held up her index finger. "And this may sound crazy, but what led to your primal instinct to use the aggressive approach to either fight or die were pheromones."

"Pheromones?" Shepard arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "Pheromones are what caused all of us to get all ape-shit crazy?"

"It's similar to those you find in your insects, called ants and bees." Liara shrugged not fully knowledgeable on the matter. "I didn't look them up entirely, but the pattern suggests the same thing."

"Okay, so how did you trace that back to Cerberus?" Shepard leaned against the wall as Liara learned herself against the desk.

"I decided to keep my findings to myself. It might have been reckless, but I'm glad I did or else it would have started a messier war. I looked into who could have had access to the materials to concoct the toxin and impregnate the 'mines' with them." Liara began fiddling her thumbs.

"I grew impatient and open sources can only hold so much information so I resulted in using other means." Liara crossed her arms as she grew stern. "I hired an information broker."

Shepard started to put two and two together. "And then?"

"Well, let's just say he didn't give me a lot to work with, but I wasn't going to sit idly around wondering hopelessly about what had happened to you. At this point I was already aggravated, and the Alliance didn't turn up anything new. So I told that broker I'd pay him double if he found more information. He declined and said that his employer wouldn't allow it. That it would, 'complicate' business." Liara's brows narrowed as she angrily repeated the information broker's words. "I was running out of options, and I knew at that point whoever was responsible did not want to be found. There was only one thing I thought of that was my only shot in the dark."

Shepard took a deep breath as she finally put the two pieces together. "You took it upon yourself to find the Shadowbroker."

"And I'd do it again, Shepard."


	10. Chapter 10 - The Shadow Infiltrators

**A/N: **Sorry I haven't updated in sooo long. School took and angry grip at me and tore me away from all my leisurely things. Actually, except for replaying the Mass Effect series again. I managed to squeeze that in. Haha, but now that my fix has been fulfilled, I present to you all another chapter! I kinda went head in for this chapter so if there are points where you're off, I'm sorry! I hope it's still worth while *prays*

All Mass Effect characters and galaxy lore belong to BioWare!

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**Chapter 10: The Shadow Infiltrators**

"You went after the Shadowbroker?" Shepard's jaw was halfway down out of shock. "Alone?"

"I wasn't alone. I actually had some of our close friends come with me. They all knew there was something more going on than just an accident. Even though you requested leave, the Alliance still chose to discharge you from service and in the process, strip you of your rank." Liara crossed her arms as bit her bottom lip. "And you were forced to live under these poor conditions, with little to no benefit. I couldn't stand for it, and neither could they, so I ended up with a team to take him out. I admit it wasn't easy."

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_Shadowbroker's base, Hagalaz, two years ago…_

"Liara!" Ashley yelled out for the Asari as she flew across the hall, her back impacting with a crack against the wall.

Liara was being cornered as she saw the soldier being flung away from her. Aching with a bruised rib, she managed to contain the biotics swerving between her fingers and around her palm. With a single blast to the ground, an orb emitted into a large scope blasted away the perpetrators in her way. Liara ran up to Ashley who had slid down to the ground her head leaning forward, groaning very quietly in pain.

"Ashley! Ashley are you alright?" The human looked up and nodded holding her side as she pushed the Asari away, but Liara kept a grip on the soldier's forearm. "Ashley, please let me tend to your wounds."

"No, go! You need to take that son of a bitch down before he tries to get away." Ashley shoved Liara once more. "Please go."

Gunfire from behind echoed in the halls as a quarian and another human turned the corner. Liara held up her pistol as she heard the noise but lowered her aim as she realized who it was. To her relief it was Tali and James.

"Tali! Thank the Goddess, I was worried you and James were…" Liara holstered her pistol as she wiped her brow with her forearm.

"We're fine Blue. I made sure Sparks here didn't get a scratch." James's laughed bellowed as he knelt down against Ashley. "How's our LC doin'?"

"She assures me she'll be alright, but I'd prefer if one of you stayed with her." Liara crossed her arms as she looked down at the stubborn human.

"Aw, c'mon I told you already that you needed to go. I'll be fine!" Ashley groaned as she raised her voice, immediately supporting her side with her arm.

"I'll stay with her Liara. You and James shouldn't have any issues taking down that boshtet down." Tali pulled James from under his arm to stand him up, taking his spot by Ashley's side.

"But-" James began to speak, but Tali interrupted him. "Don't worry. She's in good hands."

Nodding, James rolled her shoulders and held his shotgun tightly against his person. Liara took out her pistol and tilted her head toward the direction of the Shadowbroker's office. "Let's go James."

xxx xxx xxx

"Did Ashley make it out?" Shepard lowered her gaze as she thought about her friends, troubled by thought that none of them had made any contact with her. "How about Tali and James?"

Liara nodded and smiled. "They're fine Shepard, and I can understand why you're concerned. I assure you, there is a reason why you haven't heard from them in a while."

xxx xxx xxx

_Shadowbroker Confrontation_

"You'd be an excellent prize Dr. T'soni. I'm pleased to hear that the Commander is still alive. It would be a shame if she wakes up knowing her bondmate has been killed." The yagh sitting behind the desk intertwined her fingers together as his deep voice spoke.

"Not if I can help it pendejo!" James aimed his rifle at the yagh, his brows creasing as his teeth snarled. "You're not laying a hand on anyone."

"James, calm down." Liara tightly gripped her pistol as she focused her gaze at the monster. "We're here because you have something we want, and I assure you, we will take it if you do not tell us what we want to know."

"You're not in the position to make threats Asari, and if you do not make the first move, I will!" The yagh's roar boasted his strength as he lifted up the bolted desk and flung it at the human and asari. Taking cover behind pillars, the yagh began panting heavily, his saliva dripping between the three sets of teeth. "I know your every secret asari, and don't think that if you manage to escape that you will be safe. I promise that you will suffer for crossing me, and you will be left with nothing as the darkness consumes you. You will wither into nothing." The yagh slammed his fist in to the ground, cracking it as it boomed in the room, startling Liara so much that she began to shake.

"Don't listen to him, Blue!" James opened fired a few shots at the yagh, his bullets being deflected by the tough skin and armor.

"James!" Liara yelled for the human, but the sound of his rifled muted her.

"You're a fool." The yagh growled as she charged the human, his arm back swinging against the pillars. Luckily the soldier had ducked and rolled out of the way, firing his rifle from behind has he sprinted to the next one.

Liara shook her head regaining her focus as she shot a singular bolt of a biotic warp, only shoving the yagh a few feet as he stumbled. Side stepping towards James, she fired another bitoc warp, and then another. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she began hastily firing as many pistol shots and biotics at the enraged monster.

James peeked his head around the corner and noticed that Liara finally had the yagh pacified with endless bolts of pushes with her biotics, using the oppurtunity to arm his ammunition with incendiary rounds. Opening firing on the yagh, James let out a yell, his teeth gritting as he held his ravaging assault rifle.

"Take this you son of a bitch!" James cocked his rifle and let out a carnage shot, making a mediocre sized explosion due to the burns caused by his incendiary fire. Liara covered herself with her arm as she took cover behind a barricade, directly across the room from James. The yagh was finally pushed back against the wall as he lost a part of his balance due to the explosion.

"Did we get him Blue?" James was concealed behind the pillar reloading his rifle. Liara slowly took a peek above the barricade and saw that the yagh was enraged even more.

"No! He's still up! And he doesn't look too happy." Liara reloaded her pistol as her body began to glow a light blue, tiny fires of biotics leaving her fingertips.

"Lemme handle it." James recklessly sprinted to the center of the room, popping his barrier as he let out a barrage of fire encased bullets at the yagh. This time however, the yagh did not flinch as he began charging at the soldier. "Oh son of a-!" With a loud boom, the yagh backhanded James hard enough that he began flying across the room, and with his finger still on the trigger, James's rifle fired a few stray bullets into the ceiling, the glass above cracking just slightly.

Liara called out for James as she helplessly watched the human tossed across the room. Hearing a cracking noise from above, she noticed that the glass was holding pure energy within its core. An idea sprung up in her head and she finally leaped over the barricade, changing her bullets into warp rounds. Firing rapidly at the yagh to get his attention, she called out to James one more time, hoping the human had recovered from the strike.

James's head began to pound as he managed to squirm back onto his feet, his balance slightly skewed from being struck. Seeing that Liara had managed to pull the yagh off of him, he used the little time he had to regain what was left of his composure.

"James!" Liara caught James's eye as she glanced up at the ceiling. Catching onto the Asari's plan, James began firing at the ceiling. The sound of the flurrying bullets caught the yagh's attention as he roared, and as the monster was distracted, Liara focused all her biotic energy into the ceiling and vigorously pulled it apart, the pure energy that was stored now pouring all over the yagh. Veering out of the way, the yagh was engulfed in the liquid, burning energy, and whatever was left of him was melted until he was nothing but dust.

xxx xxx xxx

"That's it? What happened next?" Shepard took a few steps back towards her desk, her gaze fixated at her ceiling.

"Well now having full access to the Shadowbroker's resources, I used every bit of it I could to find out who was behind the whole event on Akuze, and it revealed to be Cerberus. It also appeared that the Shadowbroker provided them the necessary credentials to gain access to the materials they needed for the mines." Liara kept her eyes lowered at the ground, watching as she fidgeted her fingers between one another.

"I see. And I'll just assume that you managed to grasp tightly onto the Shadowbroker's position. Which kinda explains why I haven't seen you since I left." Shepard crossed her arms even tighter, her fingers digging into her upper arm.

"Honestly, it wasn't easy for me to get it started at first, but I managed to get my bearings. I wanted to see you, but…" Liara looked up at Shepard who still had her back toward her. "But..I wasn't able to. I'm sorry."

"No, I get it. I understand. I just.." Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. "I only wished we could have…started off this clean slate I got is all. I know shit had to happen for me to get it but…"

"Shepard, I wasn't going to sit idly by for the two years you were out of my life to just…wait. Right now it's the Goddess's blessing that you're awake now. For all I know you could have been in that coma for longer." Liara felt the sinking feeling in her chest, similar to the time she had to live without Shepard. "I wanted revenge Shepard. For what they have done for you. I will not stop until I achieve it."

Shepard sighed, understanding Liara's feelings. She knew if the situation's reversed that she would have done anything for Liara, Revenge was something that Shepard knew too well, and it was something she was very familiar with. "I'm not going to stop you, Liara, but I won't let you do this alone. You're walking down a dark road, and I'm not going to have you disappear on it."

"Well, I know better than to argue with you when you've made up your mind." Liara smiled coyly as she lightly nudged Shepard, knowing she had won what she wanted out of the argument.

"You're one to talk, Dr. T'soni." Shepard tugged on the Asari's elbow, pulling Liara into her arms. "So, what I'm actually dying to know is how you managed to actually secure your spot as the Shadowbroker."

"James, Ashley, and Tali helped me in reorganizing the Broker's resources and agents. And, they actually became what I called the Shadow Infiltrators. They are still around and still doing the required work to both keep our positions secure and to make progress on what to do next with Cerberus. That's also why you haven't heard from them directly in a while.." Liara trailed her fingers up Shepard's arms as they made it to the curve of the human's neck.

"I'm impressed T'soni." Shepard smiled subtly and wrapped her arms even tighter around the Asari. "I'm still amazed that you went through all that for me."

"When are you going to realize the meaning of the word bondmate, Shepard?" Liara tugged on Shepard's shirt collar and pulled the human in for a long, hungered kiss. Pulling apart slowly, the Asari whispered against Shepard's lips. "I am yours."


End file.
